An emboldened House Republican majority Tuesday plowed ahead with its budget-cutting plans, opening a debate that could include hundreds of amendments and is expected to end with at least $100 billion cut from President Obama’s spending request for the remainder of this fiscal year. The measure, needed to fund the government from March to October, includes across-the-board reductions in spending for dozens of agencies and programs, including the Pentagon. It is testing the power of fiscally conservative Tea Party freshmen and setting up a standoff with Obama, who on Tuesday threatened to veto the measure. “If the president is presented with a bill that undermines critical priorities or national security through funding levels or restrictions, contains earmarks or curtails the drivers of long-term economic growth and job creation while continuing to burden future generations with deficits, the president will veto the bill,” Obama’s Office of Management and Budget announced. But Republicans are undaunted in their effort to uphold a campaign pledge to slash spending, even if federal workers end up in the unemployment line. In fact, some Republicans are expected to propose that an additional $20 billion — or a total of $78 billion — be cut in the spending plan that covers the next seven months.
“We need to liberate our economy from the shackles of big government, not bury our children and grandchildren under a mountain of debt,” House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, proclaimed before debate was gaveled open.
The level of cuts is unprecedented for an appropriations bill, which normally increases spending or occasionally freezes it in an attempt at fiscal discipline. While some GOP moderates fear the effect tens of millions of dollars in cuts will have on their districts, the current momentum favors easy passage in the House, perhaps as early as Thursday afternoon.
“We may lose a few Republicans,” said Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “But it’s a 2.6 percent cut, so if you are a Republican or a Democrat, and you think these cuts are too draconian, what’s your plan to balance the budget?”
Attempts by Democrats Tuesday to show that the GOP cuts would kill jobs fell flat with the Republican leadership, which seemed to gladly accept that some stimulus-created government positions could end.
“Over the last two years since President Obama has taken office, the federal government has added 200,000 new federal jobs, and if some of those jobs are lost in this, so be it,” Boehner said. “We’re broke.”
Democrats argue that the job losses would extend far beyond the public sector. They cite the liberal Economic Policy Institute’s projection that 800,000 jobs would be lost, though the estimate doesn’t specify how many would be lost in the private sector.
“Since coming into office, Republicans have not put forward any initiatives to create jobs,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said. “Indeed, with this legislation, they are making matters worse.”
