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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

House Republicans Still Hate Spending Cuts

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  May 15th, 2012 at 06:52 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Last week, the House passed H.R. 5326, the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, by a vote of 247-163, providing $51.131 billion in discretionary appropriations for fiscal year 2013. That’s $1.61 billion or 3% below the amount of funding provided for these programs in fiscal year 2012–and $731 million or 1.4% below the amount requested by the president for fiscal year 2013.

Not terrible, but clearly there was room to cut more spending, right? Surely House Republicans realized that Americans want them to cut more spending than 3%–and be more than 1.4% below where President Obama is, right?

Right?

Well, some conservative amendments did indeed pass. See these, for example:

  • Diane Black (R-TN) – Prohibits the use of funds by the Attorney General to sue states over their immigration laws. Passed 238-173.
  • Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) – Prohibits DOJ from using funds to defend Obamacare. Passed 229-194.
  • Paul Broun (R-GA) – Cuts $181,000 from the Marine Mammal Commission. Passed by voice vote.
  • Bill Flores (R-TX) – Prohibits funding to continue the ban on federal procurement of unconventional fuels. Passed 250-173.
  • Trey Gowdy (R-SC) – Cut $1 million from the DOJ Administrative Account for Fast and Furious Program. Passed by voice vote.
  • Rep Andy Harris (R-MD) – Cut $542,000 from NOAA Climate Website. Passed 219-189.
  • Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) – Prohibits the use of funds by DOJ in contravention of the Defense of Marriage Act. Passed 245-171.
  • Ben Quayle (R-AZ) – Blocks Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance that limits employers from looking at criminal records. Passed by voice vote.
  • David Schweikert (R-AZ) – Prohibits the use of funds by the Attorney General to sue states over their voter ID laws. Passed 232-190.
  • Joe Walsh (R-IL) – Prohibits funding for sanctuary cities. Passed by voice vote.
  • Daniel Webster (R-FL) – Prohibits funding for the American Community Survey. Passed 232-190.

But check out these conservative amendments that failed–and by how much they failed:

  • Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) – 1% across-the-board cut to discretionary spending. Defeated 160-251.
  • Paul Broun (R-GA) – A 3% cut to all salaries and expenses—as well as administrative costs—in the bill, for a total savings of $847 million. Defeated 137-270.
  • Paul Broun (R-GA) – 12.2% across-the-board cut, exempting US Marshals, FBI, and NASA. Defeated 105-307.
  • Paul Broun (R-GA) – Cuts $15 million from the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery program. Defeated 168-239.
  • Jeff Flake (R-AZ) – Cuts the National Science Foundation to fiscal year 2008 levels, for a total savings of $1.2 billion. Defeated 121-291.
  • Bill Huizenga (R-MI) – Strikes the provision that bans public-private sector competition within the Bureau of Prisons and Federal Prison Industries. Defeated 199-211.
  • Tom McClintock (R-CA) – Cuts $277.8 million from the International Trade Administration. Defeated 121-287.
  • Mike Pompeo (R-KS) – Eliminates all funding for the Economic Development Agency (EDA), for a total savings of $219.5 million. Defeated 129-279.
  • Ben Quayle (R-AZ) – Eliminates funding for the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia, for a total savings of $21 million. Defeated 147-259.
  • Steve Scalise (R-LA) – Reduces Economic Development Administration funding to fiscal year 2008 levels, for a total savings of $18.2 million. Defeated 174-233.
  • Austin Scott (R-GA) – Eliminates all funding for the Legal Services Corporation, for a total savings of $328 million. Defeated 122-289.
  • Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) – Cuts $128 million from the Legal Services Corporation. Defeated 165-246.

Are you kidding me?

House Republicans can’t come together to cut an additional 1%? Not $128 million from the much-hated Legal Services Corporation? Not $15 million from a salmon program?

House Republicans are still deaf to your requests to cut more spending. Make sure they hear you.

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  • dave447

    You could pretty much label all the politicians with “no” votes on the cuts as “Deaf, Dumb, and Stupid”! Guess the Tea Party has a lot more work to do to get these Rhinos out – because they are too damn stupid to learn!

  • General_Confusion

    Like the Greeks and the French the House has broken the code. The new economic model is government first, government bigger, government shall never be denied.

    Austerity, loosely defined as a slightly lower rate of government growth is unacceptable and the deficit has no bearing whatsoever on the economy or the nations future.

    Apparently you can have your cake and eat it too!

    Too bad the Tea Party types just can?t understand the new motto? ?Cut the deficit? Not now, not ever!?

    P.S. Eventually you really do run out of other people?s money. This will get very ugly and both parties are to blame.

  • npaul

    Where can I find how my US Rep voted on all these amendments? I have a sinking feeling that he probably voted however Baaaner/Cantor told him to vote. Thanks.

  • chbroussard

    so are the people that keep reelecting these guys over and over and over. What the heck is Mitch McConnell still doing in DC? He should have been run out years ago. So you’re right. We have a lot more work to do. It may take many, many election cycles, but we won’t quit. Our country is worth the fight.

  • conservativerock5

    http://www.clubforgrowth.org/freshmanvotestudy/?&state=&sort=score

    Among them are Allen West, notable Congressman from Florida. Rick Berg, now running for Senate and a frontrunner. And Paul Gosar, who is being challenged by Madison Project endorsee Ron Gould.

  • drfredc

    One way to cut expenses in a big way would be to limit all Cost of Living adjustments for government employees to the Federal Poverty Level (and opt to bump it up in negotiations to 2 times FPL). Include pension benefit payouts in COLA limits, and perhaps require similar contract changes along the way to those who receive Federal dollars. Ideally, provide some ‘bonus’ for workers if their department actually function under budget.

    Then, for the purpose of politics, dedicate a portion of the savings to better support for something like better Social Security and Medicare for those in need.

    In other words, the COLA should be redefined as BASIC cost of living, not a Cost of Luxury Adjustment for those who are otherwise doing pretty well. If taxes and regulations and ever growing gubermint plus excessive compensation packages for gubermint workers make stuff cost more for those in the private sector, then gubermint burros and unions need to feel that extra cost.

  • Change Jar Conservative

    So there are 105 congressmen who get what most of America wants.

  • tnguy

    Conservative in the primary, republican in the general will fix this, right?

  • http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com ColdWarrior

    Things won’t change until we change the outcomes of the Republican primary elections. And the best way to achieve that is . . . well, you know the rest.

    Thank you.

    CW

  • lastgopinillinois

    That claims any and all savings from spending cuts shall be submitted to the treasury for deficit reduction ???

    If not, then why bother trying to cut spending. Didn’t 0bama get $2.4 Trillion for 18 months in the last debt ceiling increase? And that money will be spent by this coming August, right?

    We need to LIMIT the budget to lower spending prior to appropriations in the first place. Whatever is allotted for the budget will get spent. If there are subsequent savings below the budget allotment, doesn’t 0bama get to spend it for whatever he wants, unless it is stipulated that the savings are slated to go somewhere else?

  • Dave_A

    Obama can only spend money in ways Congress authorizes it to be spent.

  • snappy101

    One thing jumps out from the two above lists. With only a handful of exceptions, the representatives who introduced cost cutting legislation are overwhelmingly from states south of the mason dixon line: Georgia, Tennessee, Arizona, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina…

    How about a follow up article? Which Republican members of Congress show up voting on the wrong side of both lists more than once or twice? Shouldn’t we know who they are and out them publicly? I’d also like to know which Republican Representatives never introduce any cost cutting legislation.

  • jlsankot

    there needs to be a budget. Over one thousand days without one!
    What a disgrace!

  • http://itsaboutliberty.com/index.php kralizec

    Weak, feckless…untrustworthy.

    They threw Ryan under the bus last August, why not some common sense amendments?

  • malvernpa

    Take a tip from the pioneers of old in America. They had thousands of miles to travel when Leaving Missouri with a wagon and one maybe two oxen or horses. While they would let the animal know that they had the reigns and the whip unless they were very very unwise they never whipped the oxen into a painful condition. I suggest that we constantly let the conservatives in congress know we have the reigns and are watching very carefully but that we do not keep whipping and kicking to the point that the oxen no longer cares. We only have one part of congress. Lets see what the conservatives can do if WE give them the WH and the Senate as well.

  • bruceinva

    you are probably right. And I live in Cantor’s district. Would love to have a conservative to primary him.

  • http://www.statenislandlibertea.com rjp1666

    Dont fool yourself into thinking you can elect these guys and walk away from it. Look at the voting records of many “Tea Party Freshmen” and you’ll see the sad tale of reality. Guys like my congressman, Michael Grimm, ran as an outsider who wanted to fight the status quo, and no sooner did he get there than he fell right into line with them. Even Tea Party heroes like Alan West have horrible voting records on debt and the deficit. Vigilance is the only way. We must vote these guys in, and when they fail have the balls and intellectectual honesty to VOTE THEM OUT. It’s not what they say that matters. It’s what they do that counts.

  • gmhunt

    Yes it is true, the GOP only has one house, but it is the House with purse strings…that means they control the funds to the different departments…….that means they can “cut” the funding……..to: TSA, EPA, ED, Health, Transportation, The Arts, Planed Parenthood, PBC, ALL foreign aid and much more………the problem is the Leadership, ALL RINO’s

  • gmhunt

    Yes you are absolutely correct, just like at Rubio….the “Dream Act” for illegals to become citizens………this is crazy……..the Tea Party in Florida should start a re-call election……….

  • commonsenseobserver

    A certain Latina governor in a Southwestern state who has actually attacked our nominee for the White House for being too conservative on immigration.

  • rocketman21

    Does the congress have any realistic idea that we know what they are doing, and it is pure foolishness to us? Congress do your job. We are broke and you are spending money like it was yours. All of the bills you voted against to cut spending sickens those of us who are barely getting by. It would be one thing if we were not broke, and then we should still not be spending “Stupidly”.

    Eric, and the rest of the many conservatives we may have to finally start another party, for the sane and responsible. This spending spree agreed to by supposed responsible republicans are the very reason this country is going down. You expect it and even count on it from the loons on the left, but our own party? Sickening

  • npaul

    Erick, it’s great that you alert us to these issues, but for all the different amendments, we need the actual roll call numbers (and the links would be helpful too!) to be able to track how our congressman did on these votes. Thanks.