I suppose this was to be expected.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) on Friday evening introduced a revised 2011 government spending bill that the GOP said will cut at least $100 billion in spending this fiscal year, bowing to demands by Tea Party-backed House freshmen.
The continuing resolution funding the government after March 4 cuts deeply across all areas of domestic spending (pdf) and singles out many programs for complete elimination.
In the CR $81 billion has been cut from non-security programs, and security-related programs have been reduced by $19 billion, compared to Obama’s 2011 budget request.
The legislation will increase funding for the Department of Defense by 2 percent over last year’s level.
The Department of Defense never gets a haircut.
Sen. Inouye told them to go fly a kite.
“It is clear from this proposal that House Republicans are committed to pursuing an ineffective approach to deficit reduction that attempts to balance the budget on the back of domestic discretionary investments, which constitute only a small percentage of overall federal spending. The priorities identified in this proposal for some of the largest cuts – environmental protection, healthcare, energy, science and law enforcement – are essential to the current and future well-being of our economy and communities across the country,” Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) said in a statement.
“I am disturbed that some Republicans have indicated a willingness to allow a government shutdown. No responsible elected official should even consider such an option,” he added.
The Republicans made a lot of promises they can’t keep. Most of them, it is irresponsible to even attempt to keep. In any case, they feel like they have to humor their unhinged freshmen and their lunatic base, so they’ve introduced armageddon as their first offer on the Continuing Resolution. We may not have to wait for the fall to get a government shutdown. This proposal is so far removed from anything rational that it cuts transportation spending by nearly a quarter. Its cruelty is detailed in the cited article. Its job-crushing idiocy must be described elsewhere.
