John Boehner Promises Spending Cuts Next Year
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Republicans accomplished their two main objectives during this lame-duck congressional session, House Republican Leader John Boehner said today: extending all of the Bush tax cuts and killing a government-spending bill that included earmarks. With those two accomplishments under their belts, Republicans will now focus on cutting government spending, Boehner said.
"We need to cut spending," the incoming House Speaker told reporters Friday. "That's what the American people want. That's what the economy needs."
He added: "Beginning on Jan. 5, the American people are gonig to watch their Congress do something differently."
Republicans yesterday proved their strength in Congress despite the fact that Democrats maintain power in both chambers for a few more weeks. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was forced to abandon a vote on the "omnibus" spending bill intended to fund the federal government through September of next year, due to GOP complaints about earmarks. Many of the earmarks (or regionally-specific projects) in the bill were requested by the very Republicans now complaining about them.
Boehner showed today that the GOP intends to claim the moral high ground on the matter despite the fact that many earmarks requests came from his party.
"We saw a victory for the American people when the so-called omnibus bill had an untimely death," he said. "The American people spoke out and the bill got scrapped." In a nod to the Tea Party movement, he noted that yesterday happened to be the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.
Yesterday, Reid defended earmarks as simply "congressionally-directed spending." Democratic aides have pointed out that the $8 billion in earmarks represents less than 1 percent of the entire bill, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates yesterday said it would be a "gigantic problem for the Department of Defense" if the omnibus failed.
Reid yesterday also called his GOP colleagues hypocrites on the issue. In fact, the two biggest "earmarkers" in the Senate omnibus bill were Republicans, according to a tally completed by the nonpartisan Taxpayers for Common Sense: Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi requested 281 earmarks worth $561,075,018, and Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi requested 236 earmarks worth $449,302,179.
Boehner today said that the House, at least, will make its priorities "the people's priorities" - which he said means less spending -- under Republican control.
The House, he said, will be "the outpost in Washington for the American people and their desire for a smaller, less costly American government."
Boehner said he intends to institute a "cut as you go" rule in the House, so that any new spending proposed will have to be offset with cuts elsewhere. It's the Republican answer to the Democrats' attempts at a "pay as you go" system, in which all spending had to be paid for. Democrats often ignored that rule.
The leader also reiterated his promise from the GOP's "Pledge to America" to reduce spending to 2008 levels. The "Pledge to America" document released earlier this year was lacked specifics as to how to get back to those spending levels. Boehner said today the House would start by cutting its own budget, though that would make an exceedingly minor dent in the deficit.
"Then we'll turn our attention to the rest of the budget," he said, "including killing the health care law... We can't borrow and spend our way to prosperity."
The health care law is projected by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office to reduce the deficit, not increase it.
Boehner said the tax deal the House passed yesterday, which is expected to add around $900 billion to the deficit, was a "good first step" to reviving the economy.
"You can't gave a growing economy if you're going to raise taxes on the very people you expect to invest in our economy," he said, referring to the upper-income Americans who also saw their tax cuts extended in spite of Democratic resistance.
"Considering that Democrats control the House, the Senate and the White House, I thought on balance it was worthy of my vote," Boehner said of the package.
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What, exactly, is corporate welfare? "corporate" and "welfare" are not two words that go hand in hand.
Don't try to answer though. My question is rhetorical, meaning to make you think, not write. The term Corporate Welfare was coined by liberal media who want to fool liberals into thinking that uncollected taxes are welfare.
We pay enough. We give enough. Time to cut the wastes.
We agree on the wastes cutting.
Gotcha on the "ear marks" correction! Didn't realize I was doing that. From now on, "earmarks".
Any more trite corrections?
Like I said before, ask Jimmy Carter. He can give you all the info you need for FREE! Dumb, wasteful, all of you. I have to scrimp and save to stay afloat. I am sick of all of you. OBAMA: You did nothing here accept WASTE more of our money and our grandchildren's future. Earmarks need to be outlawed. If KY wants to study peanuts, let KY pay for it!
There may be a giant conspiracy by the rich to rule, but I don't live with or see that every day. I do live near and see the parasites leading this nation to stagnation and more poverty.
But if I get out there with a sign and protest the welfare nation is ruining the nation, my house would burn down shortly after.
So go ahead, liberals, push, push, push. You'll find yourself living without a lot more than you are living without now.
You'll be begging those "rich" people to let you clean their pool, mow their yard, walk their dog.
Go ahead, push us!
Your post suggests that everyone who gets welfare is just a greedy jerk who wants to fleece the tax payers of our country.
Many republicans have said that keeping the Bush tax cuts would create jobs... The rich have had those tax cuts for almost seven years now... so where are those jobs?
Poor people pay taxes, middle class people pay taxes... your post suggests that the rich... those who can afford to pay taxes shouldn't have to...
The poor should give what they can... The middle class should give what they can... and the rich should give what they can...
You act like the Federal Goverment is a Kingdom. It is not. Don't you remember Democracy? Don't you remember the Federal Government works for the people? Don't you remember that Congress is supposed to do what is best for the majority of the people?
The Federal Government has no money of its own. It is ALL our money!
The Federal Government is supposed to take care of it, use it wisely, and make sure that they are using it for OUR good.
The Federal Government is OUR investment company. Our investment is the United States of America. They take a portion of OUR money to run OUR country. You liberals act like they are ungraciously letting us keep some of THEIR money for ourselves, for crying out loud! You know this is not true. You can't be that stupid to think that once a tax hike is in place, the tax money from then on belongs to the Federal Government.
When the Federal Government spends money, they don't spend THEIR money. They spend TAXPAYER money. It still belongs to the taxpayer, but is designated to be spent in the best interest of America.
When the Federal Government uses taxpayer tax dollars to fund Welfare, it is coming from taxpayers. Medicaid funds? From those same taxpayers. Military funding? The same taxpayers.
When tax cut extensions are left in place, the money states at home with the taxpayer. How is that giving money to anyone, regardless of whether they are rich are average taxpayers?
Our infrastructure is not "crumbling".
Tax incentives is not collected tax money.
Yea, taking 70% taxes worked during the depression. That's why you freaking Welfare parasites want it to happen again...so you can keep getting your freaking freebies. Why don't any of you EVER say anything about the freaking wastes at the BOTTOM of the classes.
Our education system is embarrassing only because of the freaking number of uncaring parents who smoke crack and swig alcohol and go gambling rather than stay home and feed them and make them do their homework.
Your words sound good below. Too bad they are just as false as any Hitler ever said.
Obviously, you don't read others' post, but just post away with your own beliefs.
I'm not a Palin fan. She may be serious enough, but she doesn't come across that way, and the President of the U.S. should come across as a serious diplomat and businessman (or businesswoman).
It is the pushy liberals such as yourself who are ruining this country. Your generalizations are outrageous, and your beliefs are flawed. You would do well to avoid "conversations" with me, because I will out you every time.
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Boehner, we are counting on you to lead the charge, to get behind the fiscally conservative Republicans and Democrats in Congress and push them to the brink of sanity on getting the wasteful spending out of the 2011 budget, and for eliminating ANY pork in the budget.
We want a bare budget. We want shared offices, shared copiers, shared vehicles. We want gyms closed, parties cancelled, perks ungiven, carpets not replaced, thermostats on 60.
We want no studies of frogs, mesquitoes, snakes, peanuts, peaches, or wetlands. We want no bridges to nowhere, monuments, new buildings, nor anything costing a tax payer dime until we get at least a fourth of the deficit paid.
We want bare bones budget. We know you can do it. You've watched us have to do it for years now.
We cannot afford to line the pockets of billionaires adnd start getting the bet value for our tax dollars!