Evidently not the $100 billion they promised:
Many people knowledgeable about the federal budget said House Republicans could not keep their campaign promise to cut $100 billion from domestic spending in a single year. Now it appears that Republicans agree.
As they prepare to take power on Wednesday, Republican leaders are scaling back that number by as much as half, aides say, because the current fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, will be nearly half over before spending cuts could become law.
More at Hot Air. I’m not sure that anyone will be outraged over this. The important thing is for Congress to move in the right direction and stop the kind of out-of-control deficit spending by which Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats increased the national debt by $5.2 trillion in four years.
Excerpts from Speaker Boehner’s opening speech today:
“The American people have humbled us. They have refreshed our memories as to just how temporary the privilege to serve is. They have reminded us that everything here is on loan from them. That includes this gavel, which I accept cheerfully and gratefully, knowing I am but its caretaker. After all, this is the people’s House. This is their Congress. It’s about them, not us. What they want is a government that is honest, accountable and responsive to their needs. A government that respects individual liberty, honors our heritage, and bows before the public it serves.”
That’s the written text, which doesn’t include the part where he gets all choked up and starts crying. (It’s OK, Mr. Speaker, we like the crying.) Boehner’s speech — crying and all — will be livestreamed.
Speaking of Congress, by the time you read this, I’ll be in D.C. getting acquainted with the 112th Congress. Or maybe pulled over on the side of I-270 getting acquainted with a Maryland state trooper. Either way, I don’t know how long I’ll be offline. I’ve got some more posts pre-scheduled for later today.
Thanks to Mike in Ardmore, Virginia in Centerville, Jeff in Walla Walla, Will in Dallas, Mark in Spring Valley, Richard in North Hollywood, and Mike in El Segundo for their recent contributions to the Shoe Leather Fund.
