Marco Rubio: "I will no longer support short-term budget plans"
On Friday, I reported on the House Republicans' continuing resolution to fund government for the next three weeks through April 8th. The proposal includes a measly $6 billion in cuts, which I deemed disappointing, but which many of you thought to be a positive step. For example, Stuart Creque explained:
If the Republicans are able to get the Democrats to surrender successively to short term continuing resolutions that each cut spending at a rate of $2 billion per week, they will achieve their $60 billion goal -- and each successive CR undercuts the Democrats' argument that the Republicans want to force a government shutdown. Every time the Democrats say yes to another set of cuts, it makes it harder for them to say no to the next set.
Nickolas, in a similarly optimistic tack noted:
An actual real time $6 billion dollar expenditure cut over a period of 3 weeks is a $2 billion a week cut. Carrying this over week after week yields a cumulative $100 billion dollar cut over a year. It's a start.
But as for Marco Rubio, count him out of the plan to starve the government behemoth, a nickel and dime at a time.
Democrats’ unwillingness to engage on this issue is leading us closer to a catastrophic debt spiral that will irreversibly damage our government, our economy and ultimately our country.
The absurdity of what we have witnessed on the Senate floor is only eclipsed by the lack of leadership demonstrated by the White House, and a President who has been absent from this debate and even sent his lead negotiator on a five-day foreign trip.
All this has led to a very predictable outcome: Washington politicians of both parties scrambling to put together two and three week plans to keep funding the government, while not fundamentally changing the behavior that has gotten us into this mess to begin with.
Running our government on the fumes of borrowed spending is unacceptable, short-sighted and dangerous. I commend the efforts of House and Senate Republican leaders to deal with this, but I did not come to the U.S. Senate to be part of some absurd political theatre.
I will no longer support short-term budget plans. While attempts at new spending reductions are commendable, we simply can no longer afford to nickel-and-dime our way out of the dangerous debt America has amassed. It is time our leaders in Washington wake up and realize that we are headed for a debt disaster.
Despite the lack of leadership demonstrated so far in Washington, we still have a choice. A government shutdown is entirely avoidable if the President steps up to lead and if politicians from both parties finally get their act together, pass a budget for the rest of the year, and move on to the real debate to save entitlements and tackle America’s debt crisis.
This is a man who knows how to come out on the winning side of a negotiation.
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Dec '10
Re: Marco Rubio: "I will no longer support short-term budget plans"
I think I am being misconstrued. I want more cuts, as does everyone. However, aside from making speeches, there is only so much that the GOP can do right now -- today, next week, and next month.
I believe that $2 billion a week is a real reduction coming from discretionary spending. Last year discretionary spending was about $430 billion, or about $8.5 billion a week. Spending $2 billion a week less is $100 billion a year less and over a 20% cut in that slice of the pie. At issue, and the battle being fought, is cementing these cuts in an official budget.
Entitlements are $2000 billion a year. Cutting them will be a major all out war. It will be a 2012 election issue. The Dems will fight and want tax increases. Nothing will happen until at least 2013.
Then there is defense spending, about $690 billion. Gates is proposing major cuts. Some want more. There will be both bi-partisan support and opposition to many proposed defense cuts. That is a major battle that will be fought in the next several years.
The above covers almost all federal government spending other than interest on the debt.
Edited on Mar 14, 2011 at 10:22amDec '10
Re: Marco Rubio: "I will no longer support short-term budget plans"
One more thing. If I had my way discretionary spending would be cut by at least 50%. However, I do not think that level of cut is politically possible this year.
A real 20% cut this year, more next year, and at some point a cap and freeze on discretionary spending is what I'm looking for.
Mar '11
Re: Marco Rubio: "I will no longer support short-term budget plans"
Here's an idea: How about an Article 1: Section 8 government? Crazy talk, I know...
Aug '10
Re: Marco Rubio: "I will no longer support short-term budget plans"
Best thing out of a senator's mouth in a long time. The man has promise.
Re: Marco Rubio: "I will no longer support short-term budget plans"
From NRO:
So the movement seems to be gaining strength...
Me likes.
Aug '10
Re: Marco Rubio: "I will no longer support short-term budget plans"
Moi aussi, merci Rob
May '10
Re: Marco Rubio: "I will no longer support short-term budget plans"
The GAO comes out with a report that shows the Govt. wasting (Senator Coburn's estimate) between $100,000,000,000 - $200,000,000,000. This is the Govt. stating clearly that they are wasting tax payer money + providing a road map for how to eliminate the excess. This makes a CR proposal to cut $2,000,000,000 (between 1% - 2% of the above waste) absurd in any sense other than political manuevering.
One gets the uncomfortable feeling that our political leadership is playing Nero, fiddling madly while our fiscal core melts away........at least the Japanese nuclear plants have an earthquake and tsunami to blame for their meltdown; what excuse do we have?