Hey, remember that awesome CPAC speech by Mitch McConnell? The one where Mitch McConnell said — and I quote — “Obamacare should be repealed root and branch. And we’re not backing down from this fight.” And the same speech where Mitch McConnell also said, “This law is a disaster, and anybody who thinks we’ve moved beyond it is dead wrong.” Well, as I told you, | Read More »
House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) is at it again, producing one of those antiquated “budget” documents that seem so painfully square to hip, swinging, money-no-object, deficit-reduction-means-tax-increases Democrats. Washington stopped producing anything resembling the conventionally understood accounting instrument of “budgets” many years ago (you know, the green-eyeshade stuff where assets equal liabilities, and income more or less covers expenses) but even the silly deficit-riddled | Read More »
Sixteen Republicans voted against the rule on the continuing resolution. Sixteen. I actually thought we would get about eight. Sixteen is a good number. Several of them have other ambitions. Two who surprised me were Phil Gingrey and Jack Kingston of Georgia, who I suspect did not want to get beaten up on the radio tonight on the nation’s most listened to talk station, which | Read More »
Yesterday, it was announced that John Boehner and Harry Reid had reached an early agreement on the FY 2013 budget in order to avoid a government shutdown on October 1. Pursuant to the agreement, both chambers will vote on a 6-month continuing resolution after returning from the August recess in September. The CR will provide spending for discretionary programs set at the $1.047 trillion level | Read More »
There is only one issue this week in Washington - a Continuing Resolution (CR). Both the House and Senate were scheduled to be out of session this week, so there are no major hearings or markups scheduled in committees. Friday is the deadline to pass a CR, therefore expect the House and Senate to convene off and on this week to cut a deal to keep | Read More »
The President will be making a speech today from the Rose Garden (echoes of Carter?) mapping out proposed savings of $3 trillion over the next 10 years. According to the AP, the President’s new plan contains an old idea — massive tax increases: $1.5 trillion in new revenue, which would include about $800 billion realized over 10 years from repealing the Bush-era tax rates for couples | Read More »
USA Today reported this week that billions in earmarks remain tucked into the funding measure that keeps the federal government running for the remainder of the fiscal year. Congress is debating right now how much to cut from the measure, yet these secret earmarks are not being openly discussed by members of Congress. That’s unfortunate. Earmarks should be low hanging fruit for the cost-conscious legislator. | Read More »
So … where is this whole budget process headed? Let’s review the bidding: Many conservative groups have pushed for -– at the very least -– Republican opposition to any short-or long-term spending bill that does not defund ObamaCare. The Republican leadership balks because they do not want to get the blame for shutting down the government -– which would be shut down for the sole | Read More »
There are House Republicans patting themselves on the back today for passing a three week continuing resolution that “cuts” $6 billion in spending, largely by stopping earmarks not already spent. According to the Politico, Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH), Mike Simpson (R-ID), Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and others are bristling over conservative opposition to the short term spending resolution. That opposition, by the way, was because the | Read More »
On Sunday, Republican Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, the Senate Republicans’ point man on deficit reduction, went on Fox News Sunday and told Chris Wallace that Senate Republicans will consider tax increases to cut the deficit. Chambliss’s partner in crime is Democrat Mark Warner of Virginia who added that they’ll tinker with the social security retirement age without any other substantive entitlement reforms. Democrats are already | Read More »
From the diaries by Neil. A strong, simple message that can’t really be said enough. At a press conference today, President Obama said, “You know, if Republicans are interested in social issues that they want to promote, they should put a bill on the floor of the House and promote it, have an up-or-down vote, send it over to the Senate. But don’t try to | Read More »
Last night my colleague Rep. Steve King (IA-05) and I drafted a letter to Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader Cantor and Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers urging them to include language to defund ObamaCare and rescind the $105,464,000,000 in funds already appropriated to implementing the health care law. Next Wednesday the House will consider another Continuing Resolution. Including language to defund ObamaCare is our opportunity to stop | Read More »
House Republicans are unveiling their next short-term continuing resolution today to keep the government from shutting down on March 18. It is a three week-extension, $6 billion in cuts with no new policy riders. Sound good? It’s not. Realize what is going on here. House Leadership unfortunately continues to be gripped by fear of a government shutdown. It is why these short-term extensions do | Read More »
I’d like to echo Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, Heritage Action for America, Jim DeMint, and a growing group of conservatives: we don’t need anymore short term continuing resolutions. Heritage Action for America has a great post up on this very point. If the President and Senate Democrats are genuine in their desire to fund the government, cut non-security spending and avoid a shutdown, H.R.1 should be | Read More »
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) wasn’t among the handful of Republicans who opposed the two-week continuing resolution yesterday. But don’t count on his vote for another short-term spending bill. “If it wasn’t just two weeks, I wouldn’t have voted for it,” DeMint said on Fox News. “And, frankly, this is the last time I’m going to give them a two-week extension.” DeMint’s decision to oppose another | Read More »
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