OOPS Historic 'Spending Cut' Bill Increased Spending By $3 Billion

[kpete]

Source: Talking Points Memo




Republicans stormed Capitol Hill in January vowing to slash discretionary spending by $100 billion right off the bat. In their pledge to America, they promised that, "with common-sense exceptions for seniors, veterans, and our troops, we will roll back government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels, saving us at least $100 billion in the first year alone."

As time went on, it became clear that they wouldn't get the whole loaf, and the key question became: How many billions of dollars in spending would Democrats agree to cut, without risking massive Republican defections, and, perhaps, a protracted government shutdown?

A few weeks after they cut the deal, we have an answer. It turns out the six-month spending bill Congress passed in April increased discretionary outlays through the remainder of the fiscal year by a bit over $3 billion. In other words, total direct spending will be higher by the end of September than if Congress had just set spending on autopilot for the remainder of the fiscal year back in April.

"Total discretionary outlays in 2011 will be $3.2 billion higher as a result of the legislation, CBO estimates--an increase of $7.5 billion for defense programs, partially offset by a net reduction of $4.4 billion in other spending," reads a just-released report http://talkingpointsmemo.com/documents/2011/05/cbo-the-six-month-spending-cut-bill-actually-increased-spending-this-year.php?page=1 from the Congressional Budget Office -- Congress' non-partisan scorekeeper. Analysts there conclude that increase is due in large part to the fact that the six month spending bill shifted defense spending to more immediate activities, which means the bills will come due sooner than later.

Read more: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/05/oops-historic-spending-cut-bill-increased-spending-by-3-billion.php?ref=fpa

[Oceansaway]

1. K&R...n/t

[MilesColtrane]

2. Borrow and Spend Republicans

They're the very reason we owe $14.3 trillion.

[SpiralHawk]

3. Borrow and spend Repubicons

You said it. The truth. And it bears repeating:

They're the very reason we owe $14.3 trillion

[angel823]

8. is there an echo in here?

Borrw and spend Republicans - They ARE the very reason we owe $14.3 trillion.

Plus they add insult to injury by giving more tax cuts to the wealthy.

Angel

[SpiralHawk]

17. Yes. I distinctly heard -- over and over -- "Borrow and spend Repubicons"

I guess the truth is resounding over the InterTubes:

Republicons ARE the very reason we owe $14.3 trillion.

Plus they add insult to injury by giving more tax cuts to their wealthy Republicon cronies.

[jwirr]

9. I do not think it is about borrowing and spending. It is about destroying

our entire government system "because it is an absurd attempt to live beyond its underdeveloped means" (quote of Arnold Harberger from The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein). That is the goal of rwers. However, when he said that they were in the process of destroying the Chilean economy that could afford the programs and they could not after we got done teaching them trickle down economics at the University of Chicago.

[KansDem]

14. "Borrow and Spend?" More like "Steal and Spend."

The fucking Republicans have had their hands in my pocket for some 30 years now! :grr:

[dotymed]

30. Last night, I watched the

Jack Abramoff movie (new release) and you are so right. It was sickening to see the extent that our legislators (all repubs in this movie) and Bush were bought off, and it still continues on both sides of the aisle.

At the end of the movie, Jack writes a letter to ex-President Clinton asking for his influence to help get him an early release. Supposedly he wants to expose the repub theft and hypocrisy. No one, from either party will want him released because he knows way too much about K street.

If he had not relied on "the fifth amendment" and (during court) told the truth about the massive pay-offs and corruption that he witnessed and participated in. I think he may have become a hero (with a price on his head).

I do not believe that he will survive prison. IMO, there will be a contract out on him. If, as he says, he wants to expose the Congressional(and Presidential) corruption (by money and blackmail), his days are numbered. Too bad, the American people need this information.

[Lasher]

15. Exactly right.

Every word is a clear matter of record.

[BobbyBoring]

21. I think it's more like

spend and pray

[perdita9]

4. Remember when you could trust the GOP to run the bank?

Me neither.

[KansDem]

16. Yeah, now we can't even trust them to clean the banks' men's rooms...

...lest they take the "urinal cakes" to use as "Eau de Cologne."

[pscot]

26. No, actually

But I do remember when we had regs that kept the bankers from stealing.

[Richardo]

5. K&R

[AlbertCat]

6. How much more of this "Cut! Cut! Cut!" swill must we swallow...

.... before it sinks in that cutting is not gonna do the trick?

We need revenue!

End Bush tax cuts
Mandatory minimum tax on corporations
Tax businesses owned by the churches (now that they're all political)


Theres plenty of money in this country. This isn't rocket science.

[russspeakeasy]

10. Keep saying it...hopefully someone will hear it and start the

overhaul we need.

[maxsolomon]

19. there are places to cut:

THE MILITARY, the GOP's sacred cow.

[lark]

23. Oil subsidies are also ripe for ending

That'd be a cool 2B in deficit reduction. Ends both wars now and we're getting close. Tax outsourced jobs to the hilt - cut out corporate and fat cat loopholes, tax dividend money as wages, raise the tax rates for over $250,000 and anohter level for millionaires - ding, ding, ding, I think we might be there!!! What's so hard about that?

[maxsolomon]

33. 2b is a drop in the bucket

and already defeated by the tottering grandees of the US senate.

[florida08]

7. nice

and the fact they're borrowing from pension funds doesn't matter one bit :argh:

[louis-t]

11. Republicans can never balance a budget.

They will never be able to pay off debt. Their ideology forbids it. Anything that is saved by taking away from seniors, the sick, and the poor, must be given directly to the richest.

[mikekohr]

28. NOT TRUE! Eisenhower balanced one, Clinton however balanced 5, which is five times as many as

many balanced budgets as the last 5 Republican Presidents -COMBINED-

?

see: http://bureaucountydems.blogspot.com/p/national-debt.html

[marmar]

12. Proof that the mofos have no interest in 'fiscal discipline' .......

..... their mission is to destroy government, at least the version of it that works for the people.

[DRex]

13. lol! All that tough talk....

and then they manage to actually increase spending! How perfectly Republican...

[toonces_2]

18. Hmmmmmmmmm

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[SoapBox]

20. Hilarious! And ever so typical to spend and waste the taxpayers monies...

Way to go GOBPers, RushThugs and T.HATERbaggers!

...you are a joke.

[DesertDiamond]

22. What we need to do is roll govt spending back to PRE-RICH PEOPLE TAX CUTS.

[tanyev]

24. Oops! They did it again.

[craigmatic]

25. So Obama won?

I'm more than a little shocked at this news. Looks like Obama used the jedi mind trick on them.

[Exultant Democracy]

31. The military industrial complex won. Cuts in other programs were more then offset DOD funding

[KansDem]

27. These f*wads can't do ANYTHING right!

:grr:

[Corruption Winz]

29. Wow.....

Here... we'll stop the bleeding. Give us that knife......

[and-justice-for-all]

32. Republicons are liars through and through....

they are only out to undermined the Government and cause it to fail. Republicans and their teabagging ilk are a threat to the US and should be treated as such.