deficit politics
Two reports over the past two days by the most credible organizations that do budget analysis prove that, no matter what they say publicly, congressional Republicans don't actually give a damn about reducing the federal deficit or lower government spending.
Each report shows that, for the GOP, the deficit not only comes in no better than second every time, it's not really a serious consideration.
The first report, produced by the excellent analysts at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and released on Monday, shows that last August's GOP-induced fight over raising the debt ceiling increased federal borrowing costs, that is, spending on interest, by a minimum of $1.3 billion. Here's the money quote:
As I explain in my column from today's Roll Call, the fiscal cliff isn't all bad.
Whatever you want to call it -- heartburn, anxiety, agita -- the GOP's got it and, as my column from today's Roll Call explains, it's getting steadily worse as the October 1 deadline for a continuing resolution gets closer by the day.
Need for October CR Creating Serious GOP Angst
By Stan Collender
Roll Call Contributing Writer
July 17, 2012, Midnight
There’s increasing nervousness on Capitol Hill these days about the one thing that has to be done on the budget before voters go to the polls.
As I explain in my column published in today's Roll Call, the next few months should be a pretty humbling experience for all those on Capital Hill who have been insisting that fedreal spending is the problem and claiming that there's massive support for cutting it.
Americans Are Realizing They Don’t Really Like Cuts
By Stan Collender
Roll Call Contributing Writer
June 26, 2012, Midnight
There’s about to be a big change in the federal budget debate. In the end, the big winner will be the part of the budget that supposedly is so unpopular — federal spending — that a candidate for office this year cannot currently say he or she supports it without risking massive political condemnation and reprisals.
The ever-watchful CG&G alum Bruce Bartlett sent this new You Gov poll constructed by Dartmouth (home to another CG&G alum, Andrew Samwick) Associate Professor Benjamin Valentino.
The poll covers a number of issues but it was question #7 ("Which of the following would you support as ways to reduce the nation's budget deficit?") that caught Bruce's and my eye.
1. More than half (55%) said they would support tax increases on higher-income Americans.
2. More than a third (35.4%) said they would support "major" cuts in military spending.
3. Less than a tenth (9.7% said they would support "major" cuts in Social Security.
4. Less than 12% said they would support "major" cuts in Medicare.
5. Almost 30% said none of the above are acceptable to them.
In other words:
