Tag Archives: Spending Cuts

Commentary

What would happen if Paul Ryan headed the Budget committee?

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Rep. Paul Ryan
Rep. Paul Ryan

Politico has a profile of Paul Ryan and discusses his policy ideas.

Excerpt:

Ryan will easily win a seventh term in this swing district. But as this budget wonk is poised to take command of the Budget Committee chairmanship in a Republican House, he’s going to have to navigate factions of no-compromise conservatives and angry post-election liberals if he expects to find a Goldilocks-type solution on the federal budget.

Ryan stands to be the most important player in what may be the most consequential budget debate since the government shutdown of 1995. He is perhaps the only Republican in Congress who seems able to negotiate with both John Boehner and Barack Obama, but he still has to prove that his legendary budget expertise can be translated into real action if he’s granted the power of the Budget Committee gavel.

[…]His critics concede that Ryan is the federal official who has offered the most detailed plan — titled the “Roadmap” — that is currently on the table. Democratic budget experts have begun to measure his approach and his skills, but they voice uncertainty over whether they can do business with him.

“Because of Ryan’s open and engaging personality and intelligence, people like to deal with him. But it’s unclear whether he can reach agreement on big contentious budget issues with people on the other side of the aisle who have strong philosophical differences with him,” said Bob Greenstein, executive director of the liberal-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. “Will he be willing, despite the radical nature of his proposals, to work out significant compromises in the next two years? We shall see.”

[…]“Paul is more of a detail guy,” said Mike Sommers, policy director for Minority Leader John Boehner. “The road map takes on big issues in a serious way. It is a logical progression of his work. He is dealing in depth with the leading issue of the day.”

Former Sen. Bob Kasten (R-Wis.), who hired Ryan immediately after his 1992 graduation from Miami (Ohio) University, remains a huge fan. “His road map is the real thing on where we need to go. Even Democrats who criticize him respect Paul Ryan for having the courage to show what needs to be done.” Although many of its details may not survive, Kasten said, “the road map will become overarching in the emphasis on reducing spending in the next two years.”

Asked about Ryan’s deal-making skills, he added, “Obama will have to make a decision. If he continues with his Keynesian policies, it will be a nightmare. … Paul doesn’t want to blow up the government. He wants to see it work in a fiscally responsible way.”

As an undergraduate, Ryan majored in economics and he hoped to pursue further studies in economic modeling, notably on currency forecasting. But his job with Kasten led to staff positions with the late Rep. Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.) at Empower America and then with Sam Brownback of Kansas in both the House and the Senate. He returned to Wisconsin in 1998 to run for an open House seat and was elected at age 28 with an impressive 57 percent win.

If the Republicans take the House, he should be given the Budget Committee gavel.

News

Is Obama correct to think that Republicans don’t know what to cut?

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From David Freddoso, in the Washington Examiner.(H/T Nice Deb)

Excerpt:

He finished speaking in Cleveland by urging his audience to “choose the future over the past.” A good thing — we should move on to 2011 instead of repeating the year 2009. Anyway, here were his “they-have-no-ideas” remarks, in part:

Just this year, these same Republicans voted against a bipartisan fiscal commission that they themselves proposed.  And when you ask them what programs they’d actually cut, they usually don’t have an answer.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., replies:

“President Obama must have misspoken today, because I have personally sat across the table from him and suggested specific ways to cut spending. Furthermore, House Republican Leader John Boehner and I urged President Obama to work with Republicans to cut spending by using his authority to send Congress a “rescissions” package.  In fact, we sent President Obama a letter twice pledging to work together with him on that effort. We still have not heard back – seven months later. It doesn’t end there, through the YouCut program House Republicans have offered over $120 billion in spending cuts, only to be voted down by Democrats in the House. Finally, House Republicans Jeb Hensarling and Paul Ryan have introduced a “Cut Spending Now” package of specific cuts that would save taxpayers $1.3 trillion.

“President Obama is entitled to his opinion, but he’s not entitled to his own facts, and with that in mind I am asking him to either clarify or withdraw the accusation that he made earlier today.”

If you want to cut spending, you vote for Republicans. If you want 3 trillion in deficits over two years, vote Democrat.

News

Democrats kill Michele Bachmann’s attempt to freeze federal salaries

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Here’s her own words from her YouTube channel:

After a series of procedures on the Floor of the House, House Democrats voted to table a bill that would eliminate the proposed federal employee pay raise scheduled to go into effect next year and also freeze the pay for Members of Congress. Rather than cut spending as the people have asked, Democrats have passed the buck yet again.

And here’s the video.

I’m guessing that this is the spending cut that was selected by the public as part of the Republicans’ “YouCut” program, which allows ordinary voters to choose which legislation will be brought forward by the Republicans to cut federal spending. I posted a video of Michele earlier this week explaining which cut was selected by voters. I guess she got picked to bring the proposed cut up for a vote. Well, the Democrats blocked her and now federal employees, including members of Congress, are all going to get raises. During a recession headed for a depression.

Here’s the blurb from a second video she posted:

It’s amazing to me that the Democrats here in Washington can say that they are seriously concerned with our skyrocketing debt and out of control spending, yet reject the people’s common-sense proposal to put a freeze on federal salaries, including Members of Congress. The Democrats can’t have it both ways, and it’s just another example of the fiscal recklessness we’ve grown so accustomed to under their leadership.

And here’s the second video:

This made me feel very sad. Why isn’t anyone listening to her? How is anyone supposed to have children when they know that the next generation of kids is going to be saddled with enormous debt from our overspending?

By the way, I note that Club for Growth now has Michele ranked #1 in their legislative power rankings. And I agree, she is the best. Ryan is #3, and Blackburn is #5. In the Senate rankings, Jim Demint is all alone at the top.