A little-noticed detail in the new rules proposed by House GOP leaders would greatly increase the power of Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the incoming chairman of the House Budget Committee. As National Journal's Katy O'Donnell reports, the new rules say that, for fiscal 2011, the chairman will set spending limits without needing a vote.Most progressive bloggers are seeing this rule change as a way to shut-down government. Or as a way to strip funding from President Obama's health care reform or stimulus spending. Though I tend to agree with that assumption because Republicans would love nothing more than to strip funding away from a person they view as an enemy of the country. I tend to also see it as a way for the GOP to increase spending without actually having to be held responsible for it. No votes will take place on the spending limits therefore the public will never know. Sure it's a way to hold the Congress hostage but it's also a way for Republicans to simply move funding from an initiative they hate to one they like.
Could you imagine the backlash if Nancy Pelosi gave herself the power to set spending limits without a vote? Right wing conspiracy theories would be abundant with stories about how she had given herself an unlimited credit card backed up by tax money. When Republicans actually do give themselves such extraordinary power, the left wants to complain that they will restrict funding and not spend enough. None of that makes any sense considering Republicans have never, ever, not one single time, ever cut spending. Democrats portraying this as a spending chopping block have already lost the debate.
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| Source: Chadwick Research |
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