Here is a summary of what the bipartisan agreement in Congress on the 2011 budget compromise gained Republicans:
• The largest spending cut in U.S. history. The agreement will immediately cut $38.5 billion in federal spending – the largest spending cut in American history in terms of dollars – just months after President Obama asked Congress for a spending “freeze” that would result in no cuts.
• Hundreds of billions in spending cuts over the next decade. The agreement will cut hundreds of billions of dollars from the federal budget over the next decade – “real money,” as the Wall Street Journal editorial board recently noted.
• An end to the “Stimulus” Spending Binge. The agreement begins to reverse the “stimulus” spending binge that began in 2009 – signaling the official end of a period of unprecedented government intervention that former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan and other economists say hurt job creation in America by crowding out private investment.
• Guarantees Senate Vote on Repeal of Obamacare. The agreement reached with Senate Democrats guarantees a Senate debate and vote on legislation that would repeal President Obama’s government takeover of health care in its entirety. The House passed such legislation in January as part of the Pledge to America.
• New Tools in the Fight to Repeal Obamacare. The agreement will generate new tools for the fight to repeal Obamacare by requiring numerous studies that will force the Obama Administration to reveal the true impact of the law’s mandates, including a study of how individuals and families will see increased premiums as a result of certain Obamacare mandates; a full audit of all the waivers that the Obama Administration has given to firms and organizations – including unions – who can’t meet the new annual coverage limits; a full audit of what’s happening with the comparative effectiveness research funding that was in Obamacare and the president’s failed “stimulus” spending bill; and a report on all of the contractors who have been hired to implement the law and the costs to taxpayers of such contracts.
• Denial of Additional Funding to the IRS. The Obama administration has sought increased federal funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – money that could be used to hire additional agents to enforce the administration’s agenda on a variety of issues. This increased funding is denied in the agreement.
• A Guarantee of Senate Vote and Debate On Defunding Planned Parenthood. The agreement with Senate Democrats guarantees a Senate debate and vote on legislation that would end federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
• Ban of Taxpayer-Funded Abortion in DC. The agreement includes a complete ban on federal funding of abortion in the District of Columbia, applying the pro-life principles of the Hyde Amendment (“D.C. Hyde”).
• Mandatory Audits of the New Job-Crushing Bureaucracy Set Up Under Dodd-Frank. The agreement subjects the so-called Consumer Financial Protection Bureau created by the job-destroying Dodd-Frank law to yearly audits by both the private sector and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to monitor its impact on the economy, including its impact on jobs, by examining whether sound cost-benefit analyses are being used with rulemakings.
On April 10th, 2011 at 3:12 am
In order to balance the budget this nation has to have control of its currency. Repeal the Federal Reserve Act. Private banks, like the Fed should not have control over our currency. Deals made through the Central banks end up costing tax payers. Every war is financed through the central bank. it was through the Central bank that The American Tax Payers paid for the rebuilding of Germany.Depressions and recessions are engineered by the control of our currency. The Fed is not a part of our government. As long as The Federal Reserve Act is in place The Fed can shut down the nation at will. This is the current reality. Restriction of money supply causes depressions and flooding markets with money causes inflation. These affects are caused by central banks and all central banks are privately owned and their main motivation is profit bhy using other peoples money. Everyone is taxed except The Fed, a privately owned bank.
On April 10th, 2011 at 11:08 am
The “compromise” is a joke. When you have the largest proposed spending in history, a small percentage of cuts is easy to call the “largest in real dollars” in history. It is a matter of scale. Even with these paltry “cuts”, or more accurately, reductions in spending increases, we are still increasing spending at record levels and spending record amounts of money. We should have NO deficits and real cuts would actually start paying down the nationsal DEBT. When that happens, congress and particularly the Republicans will have something they can be proud of. End most foreign aid, end federal land grabs, sell unused property, end HUD and the Dept. of Education, end the Dept. of Energy, use Lean Six Sigma to reduse waste in Medicaid and the Pentagon. Those would be real first steps toward constitutionally and fiscally sound government.
On April 11th, 2011 at 11:26 am
Sounds good but let’s see what comes out of the joint committee. Unfortunately a $38 billion “cut” isn’t even a scratch. For thae remainder of FY 2011 we needed a cut of about $800 billion to keep from sinking further into debt. OK, it’s a start, abut only a start. Provided it holds through the committee and gets signed and followed. Lots of ands there.
On April 11th, 2011 at 11:28 am
Question: “Your comment is awaiting moderation”. I thought I was fairly moderate.