Senate Can't Muster Votes to Trim 0.08 Percent of Federal Budget

[Chris]

"The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then they get elected and prove it." -- P. J. O'Rourke

Senate Can't Muster Votes to Trim 0.08 Percent of Federal Budget

A bill backed by the White House that would have cut a modest $15 billion in federal spending authority fell two votes shy of passage in the Senate on Wednesday.

As I explained when the bill cleared the House two weeks ago, the so-called "rescission" package actually cut just $1.1 billion in federal spending, with those cuts spread over the next 10 years. The rest of the supposed cuts were the result of sweeping up unused budgetary authority from various departments and agencies in the current budget.

The $1.1 billion in spending cuts would have amounted to about 0.08 percent of the $1.3 trillion spending bill passed by Congress and signed by President Trump in March. The federal government spends 40 times as much every year fighting a pointless war in Afghanistan. It spends 100 times as much every year on fraudulent Medicaid claims. In the context of the federal budget, $1.1 billion isn't just a drop in the bucket; it's a bucket in an ocean.

In fact, according to the Congressional Budget Office's analysis of the bill, the cut in the current fiscal year would have been just $57 million. Most of the cuts would apply to the next three fiscal years, with a not-so-whopping $368 million trimmed from next year's proposed spending levels the biggest single-year slice.

[DGUtley]

Don't mess with their money.

[stjames1_53]

GOP Sen. Jeff Flake ........was he one of those who voted against it?

[Chris]

GOP Sen. Jeff Flake ........was he one of those who voted against it?

...Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) were the only two Republicans who voted Wendesday against discharging the bill from committee. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) were absent. Collins told The Hill she believed Congress should "comb through" the spending cuts via the appropriations process, while Burr said he voted no because leadership would not commit to letting him amend proposed cuts to the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

[Chris]

Don't mess with their money.

Don't you mean our money? They don't spend it like it's theirs.

[zelmo1234]

The only path back to Sanity on may fronts is the insolvencay of the federal government.

If you think about it? It is the one thing that fixes a lot of problems.

#1 Government Spending. They will only be able to spend what they take in because no country of person would loan them money.

#2 Education, it will be back to the basics because there will be NO money for special interest to indoctrinate, and the feds will no longer be involved so depending on the State and Location of the Schools, God, Common Sense and Disipline will be coming back to public schools

#3 Welfare reform, there will be very, very little money for hand outs, so by the sweat of your brow,shale you earn you keep.

#4 SS reform, there will be no money for future workers so they will have to go to a private investment system.

Over Regulation, No money to enforce means ? Who cares what they say

#5 Illegal immigration, Those on welfare with need those jobs and there will be no jobs and no welfare here, so they will either go home or starve,

There are a lot of people that will suffer and not everyone will make it, but it is the only Reset button that I can see left.

[donttread]

"The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then they get elected and prove it." -- P. J. O'Rourke

Senate Can't Muster Votes to Trim 0.08 Percent of Federal Budget

Even if they wanted to trim the budget as a collective unit the Donkephant is non-functional. They used to be dysfunctional, but we did nothing so now they are even beyond that.

[Chris]

The only path back to Sanity on may fronts is the insolvencay of the federal government.

If you think about it? It is the one thing that fixes a lot of problems.

#1 Government Spending. They will only be able to spend what they take in because no country of person would loan them money.

#2 Education, it will be back to the basics because there will be NO money for special interest to indoctrinate, and the feds will no longer be involved so depending on the State and Location of the Schools, God, Common Sense and Disipline will be coming back to public schools

#3 Welfare reform, there will be very, very little money for hand outs, so by the sweat of your brow,shale you earn you keep.

#4 SS reform, there will be no money for future workers so they will have to go to a private investment system.

Over Regulation, No money to enforce means ? Who cares what they say

#5 Illegal immigration, Those on welfare with need those jobs and there will be no jobs and no welfare here, so they will either go home or starve,

There are a lot of people that will suffer and not everyone will make it, but it is the only Reset button that I can see left.

Except Congress is afraid of that, they'd likely lose their jobs.

[zelmo1234]

Except Congress is afraid of that, they'd likely lose their jobs.

Most of the people In congress are there for the power not the money.

and Congress will still be there, they just will have very, very little power.

There will be states like IL that will be just a disaster, but there are States that are fairly solvent and they will be OK.

[Chris]

Most of the people In congress are there for the power not the money.

and Congress will still be there, they just will have very, very little power.

There will be states like IL that will be just a disaster, but there are States that are fairly solvent and they will be OK.

Bingo! Exactly, they in it for the power, and the wealth garnered by seling favors to rent seekers. They have no stake in the game like we do. The problem with democracy, even this republic form of democracy. Democracy doesn't work.

Another source of power is described by Fenno in Home Style (1978): Congress does not consist of Burkean "trustees" but "delegates" who simply vote as their constituency wants. As long as they bring home the pork, they get re-elected.

How wrest that power from them?