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The Spectacle Blog
The Republican Study Committee has come out today with a spending proposal, which, Dave Weigel details would:
The proposal does what Republicans have been talking about for two years — “repeal” of remaining stimulus funds (now $45 billion), privatizing Fannie and Freddie ($30 billion), repealing Medicaid’ FMAP increase ($16.1 billion), and what they estimate at $330 billion in discretionary spending cuts. Highlights of these projected annual savings:
- Cutting the federal workforce by 15 percent through attrition, and do this by allowing only one new federal worker for every two who quit.
- Killing the “fund for Obamacare administrative costs” for $900 million
- Ending Amtrak subsidies for $1.565 billion
- Ending intercity and high speed rail grants for $2.5 billion
- Repealing Davis-Bacon for $1 billion
- Cutting annual general assistance to the District of Columbia by $210 million, and cutting the subsidy for DC’s transit authority by $150 million.Reforms that go after their own perks:
- Cutting the Federal Travel Budget in half, for $7.5 billion
- Cutting the Federal Vehicle Budget by 1/5, for $600 million
- Halve funding for congressional printing - $47 million annual savings
- Ending the death gratuity for members of CongressAnd cuts that get revenge for Juan Williams: $445 million from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, $167.5 million from the NEA, and $167.5 million from the NEH.
The bill would also cut discressionary non-defense discretionary spending back to 2008 levels, and then later back to 2006 levels, which it would then freeze until 2021.
I’m still awaiting a more detailed breakdown of the proposal, which the RSC tells me won’t be released until later today or tomorrow, but in a press release and an op-ed by Sen. Jim DeMint, and Reps. Jim Jordan and Scott Garrett, they claim the proposal would save $2.5 trillion over 10 years. It’s not clear how they get to that number, but I would imagine it’s largely a result of the spending freeze, which would lower discretionary spending relative to projections. The problem with relying on spending freezes is that you still have to figure out down the road where the actual savings are coming from, especially as time goes by and inflation makes it more challenging to meet those annual spending targets. And as we know, we won’t get the long-term debt under control without a serious effort to reform entitlements. That said, at first blush, I don’t see anything in the above list that would not be worthwhile to cut.
As the authors acknowledge, “On its own, passing the Spending Reduction Act will not get us over the finish line — but we will get a $2.5 trillion head start.”
View all comments (7) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Philip Klein
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/01/20/republican-study-committee
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Floyd Looney| 1.20.11 @ 5:55PM
$900 billion of the $2.5 trillion is "ending ObamaCare". That part is a gimmick to inflate the numbers.
The fact is the deficit is $1.4 trillion this year alone and this would be nothing but a nibble.
SteveP| 1.20.11 @ 9:29PM
It may only be a nibble but at least it's a start. The spending cuts that need to be made can't be done all at once. They have to start small and take nibble after nibble. Instead of saying it's not enough we need to be saying, "Good, keep going". If Congress is going to have the courage to cut spending they will need repeated encouragement for their efforts. Without it they won't be able to continue.
jstwndring| 1.21.11 @ 1:05AM
I'll second what SteveP says, that it's a decent start. But, they better not pat themselves on the back too hard for that. I expect much more. Gut the federal government Republicans. Seriously. We want--ok, I want--massive spending cuts, and massive Democrat programs eliminated completely. And don't ever stop. This should be your job from now on as a party. Eliminate socialist/marxist policies wherever you see them. Go back to at least the 1930's. Ideally, go back to at least to 1913 (FedRes). The Democrats will complain. So? They always do. Cut and gut the federal government. Go ahead and actually be the small government party we expect you to be. Anything less will mean failure.
Oh! Almost forgot! And this is a big one too:
WITHDRAW OUR MEMBERSHIP FROM THE U.N.! Do it!
There is no way to justify our participation with that hideous cabal of murderous thug nations. Screw 'em.
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 1.21.11 @ 6:52AM
While they are cutting they should free up industry. Energy pumps over 1.3 trillion in taxes in the economy each year. If off shore drilling was expanded it could easily create another 1.4 trillion over the 10 years.
In the meantime if they get those cuts through Obama is in for real trouble. Many of his constituents won't vote when they realize the free rides are over.
Derek Leaberry| 1.21.11 @ 1:27PM
I would add many more cuts. End American operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pull American troops out of Korea, Japan, the Balkans and Germany. Dissolve NATO- mission accomplished. Mothball three carriers. End American funding of the IMF and World Bank. Cut American funding of the United Nations by half. Cut funding of Israel and Egypt by half. Defund the Interstate Highway System and end the gas tax. End the Ethanol subsidy. End subsidies to agribusinesses. Cut NASA by 75 % and end the shuttle. Scrap the Departments of Energy, Housing and Education.
Oldefarte| 1.21.11 @ 2:43PM
The enumerated spending cuts should be enacted, and additionally, NASA, farm aid, foreign aid and excessively redundant military hardware should be defunded AS A START/BEGINNING [if so, the reulst would be a signal to the business community of governmental downsizing, whereupon they would become confident enough to secure loans, add employees/equipment/plants and thus grow our economy]!!!!!!!!