GOP Reveals Plan for Deep Cuts to EPA, Job Training and More

Vince Bucci

Republicans unveiled a budget plan today for the rest of the 2011 fiscal year that would give billions less than President Obama would have liked to programs like the Environmental Protection Agency, federal job training, high speed rail development and more.

GOP leaders in the House Appropriations Committee released a partial list of 70 spending cuts that will be included in an upcoming

Continuing Resolution bill. The legislation is needed to fund the federal government for the seven months remaining in the fiscal year -- and prevent a government wide shut-down -- since the Democratic-led Congress failed to pass a budget last year. Congress in December passed a stopgap funding bill to keep the government operating through March 4.

The list fleshes out the Republican plan, which they say will cut more than $74 billion from the budget and thus help the GOP meet their "Pledge to America" promise to cut close to $100 billion from the federal budget this year alone. However, as the Hotsheet reported last week, the cuts fall far short of that goal if measured against current spending.

The plan would save more than $74 billion compared to Mr. Obama's 2011 budget request, which was never enacted. Compared to actual spending, the cuts save $32 billion. The appropriations committee yesterday voted on the overall target of reducing this year's spending by between $32 and $33 billion, CBS News Senior Political Producer Jill Jackson reports.

When House Republicans reveal the full continuing resolution bill, it will show how the actual cuts measure up to current spending.

Nevertheless, today's new list shows which programs Republicans plan to slash.

The list shows Republicans would give $2 billion less to jobs training programs than Mr. Obama would, as well as $1.3 billion less to community health centers.

Climate change and energy reform initiatives are a clear target: The proposal would give $1.6 billion less to the EPA and $1.4 billion less to the Department of Energy's Loan Guarantee Authority, which enables the Energy Department to work with private companies and lenders to finance clean energy projects.

The plan calls for $1 billion less for high speed rail this year. Just yesterday the administration called for a six-year investment of $53 billion in high speed rail development.

It would also give $1 billion less to the National Institutes of Health and $379 million less to NASA.

In line with the current Republican push against abortion services, the plan also calls for $327 million less for family planning.

[cepe10-2009]

DEA would be a great agency to cut entirely, we already have local state and federal agencies that enforce drug laws. Big saving to the taxpayer and no loss of service to the citizen at all

EPA actually does something for the citizens without it the rivers would be on fire like before, and toxic haze would be killing everyone like before, our resources are worth more than some short term profits for the facist corporate ceo's

[cepe10-2009]

No cuts to the wasteful socialistic defense crony spending the biggest waste of all? 10 times what any other country spends. Wow! and of course no cuts to the farm bill or other corporate welfare, republicans sure are not fiscal conservatove and are quite the hypocrites.

[nomostew]

Yep, this is not Europe, all right. Despite their well-known troubles, the Eurozone economy went from 2/3 of ours to a bit stronger during the Bush years. They have more effective health care at less cost, a lower carbon footprint, and a far stronger safety net - all with no apparent competitive disadvantage. This not not Europe, all right. In America, we'd rather rule with our guts than our brains. In America, we want the freedom to fail, even if that means we fail more often. And we're paying for it.

[RobAla]

Forget the high speed rail altogether. AMTRAK lost $1.3 billion this year because Americans really don't want to ride trains. This is not Europe.

Repeal of the stupid health care law would save us $100 billion per year. May 2010 CBO figures state that it will cost $1 trillion in new federal spending over the first 10 years. I absolutely tanks the US economy and will drive states into bankruptcy. I will soon add $billions in new taxes and fees relating to medicine, which will drive up the cost of health care for the majority of Americans. This law is a disaster in the making.

Defund PBS and NPR - we have plenty of TV and radio stations without public support. Do away with worthless federal departments and agencies. Dump the Department of Education, as it educated no one. The states run school systems.

The federal government has grown into a massive monster, and it is ridiculous for politicians to act like there are difficulties in cutting government. We don't have to really fire people, just do it by attrition. As federal workers retire, just don't rehire. Le the growth be in the private sector. This is not as hard as politicians make it out to be. Just do it.

[cepe10-2009]

If the train ifrastructure wwas there and had the hubs it would be profitable, millions of 18-wheelers is not an efficient or responsible way to convey everything

[tmn]

$2 billion less to jobs training programs
$1.3 billion less to community health centers
$1 billion less to the National Institutes of Health
$327 million less for family planning
etc., etc., etc.
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Working man or woman? Voted Republican? Take a careful look at the above. Guess you made a serious mistake, eh?

[duffyn]

The ignorance here is truly amazing. Anyone who thinks we do not need the EPA or they are busy bodies who make up useless regulations is so far off base it is rediculous and actually, if they vote, harmful to America. Do you realize if we did not have the EPA, we would be breathing air like downtown Bejing?? The EPA has to fight big business for every reasonable rule to keep poison out of our air and water. Thankfully most people realize how important this agency is.

[CarloCaraluzzo]

Of course they want to cut funding for the EPA. Its back door deregulation of clean air standards. You can have all the regulations in the world but if you dont have enough inspectors they matter not. And I wonder how many of those republicans children might need money for job training? Im betting none. And of course, investing in modernizing the infrastruction of our nation is far less important than sending billions of dollars to countries like Eqypt so they can buy guns and no one has attacked them in generations or Israel, who does nothing for us to rate an allied status.
Do voters actually WATCH what Republicans do or do they just listen to campaign rhetoric and go back to video games? I mean when you elect a president by an overwhelming majority and the presidents opposition announces that it plans to vote against every proposal by the President or his party unless they get bigger tax cuts for the ultra rich, well, it doesnt take a freaking genius to see who is paying for their kids educations.

[seafang]

Time to completely defund the EPA; then they will stop just making up laws as unelected busybodies. The Congress should write the laws; not some beaurocrat, who'se only function should be implement laws, that the Congress writes.

[qphunk]

We have an EPA? Could have fooled me!

[thanksgreed]

Did I miss the part about the DOD cuts?

Doesn't look like they'll be anything left to defend.

[noloyalisti]

The GOP never cared and never will care about jobs. They represent the Top 1%, the evil rich of America. These people are filthy rich and run the giant corporations along with the US government. The could not care less about workers, America, jobs or even life on earth. Only profits and power.

[retm-w]

Let's see the GOP has been the majority for a month, the dems have been in the majority for the last two years, looks like the dems could care less about jobs either.

[forsanity1]

The government does create jobs. Saying otherwise is just a sound bite from someone that doesn't think things through.

The private sector is not the only place where jobs exist and without good government, the jobs they do create just might not be the jobs any American would want.

The government needs to pay more attention to this than to trying to go backwards.