The Washington Post babbled again today about Obama inheriting a huge deficit from Bush. Amazingly enough, a lot of people believe this.
So once more, a short civics lesson. Budgets do not come from the White House. They come from Congress and the party that controlled Congress since January 2007 is the Democratic Party. Furthermore, the Democrats controlled the budget process for FY 2008 and FY 2009 as well as FY 2010 and FY 2011.
In that first year, they had to contend with George Bush, which caused them to compromise on spending, when Bush somewhat belatedly got tough on spending increases. For FY 2009 though, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid bypassed George Bush entirely, passing continuing resolutions to keep government running until Barack Obama could take office. At that time, they passed a massive omnibus spending bill to complete the FY 2009 budgets.
And where was Barack Obama during this time? He was a member of that very Congress that passed all of these massive spending bills, and he signed the omnibus bill as President to complete FY 2009. Let’s remember what the deficits looked like during that period:
If the Democrats inherited any deficit, it was the FY 2007 deficit, the last of the Republican budgets. That deficit was the lowest in five years, and the fourth straight decline in deficit spending. After that, Democrats in Congress took control of spending, and that includes Barack Obama, who voted for the budgets.
If Obama inherited anything, he inherited it from himself. In a nutshell, what Obama is saying is I inherited a deficit that I voted for and then I voted to expand that deficit four-fold since January 20th.
What with all the podium pounding the Prez is doing, neither he nor his party have come up with an actual budget. The “continuing resolutiions” have helped with the out-of-control spending since nobody had to actually follow any budgetary guidance.
Here’s hoping the GOP stands firm and does not raise the debt ceiling. The only way federal spending will be cut is if the money spigot is turned off.
The following is posted as I received
These are all the programs that the new Republican House has proposed cutting. Read to the end.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting Subsidy. $445 million annual savings.
Save America’s Treasures Program. $25 million annual savings.
International Fund for Ireland. $17 million annual savings.
Legal Services Corporation. $420 million annual savings.
National Endowment for the Arts. $167.5 million annual savings.
National Endowment for the Humanities. $167.5 million annual savings.
Hope VI Program.. $250 million annual savings.
Amtrak Subsidies. $1.565 billion annual savings.
Eliminate duplicative education programs. H.R. 2274 (in last Congress), authored by Rep. McKeon, eliminates 68 at a savings of $1.3 billion annually.
U.S. Trade Development Agency. $55 million annual savings.
Woodrow Wilson Center Subsidy. $20 million annual savings.
Cut in half funding for congressional printing and binding. $47 million annual savings.
John C. Stennis Center Subsidy. $430,000 annual savings.
Community Development Fund. $4.5 billion annual savings.
Heritage Area Grants and Statutory Aid. $24 million annual savings.
Cut Federal Travel Budget in Half. $7.5 billion annual savings
Trim Federal Vehicle Budget by 20%. $600 million annual savings.
Essential Air Service. $150 million annual savings.
Technology Innovation Program. $70 million annual savings.
Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program. $125 million annual savings.
Department of Energy Grants to States for Weatherization. $530 million annual savings.
Beach Replenishment. $95 million annual savings.
New Starts Transit. $2 billion annual savings.
Exchange Programs for Alaska , Natives Native Hawaiians, and Their Historical Trading Partners in Massachusetts . $9 million annual savings
Intercity and High Speed Rail Grants. $2.5 billion annual savings.
Title X Family Planning. $318 million annual savings.
Appalachian Regional Commission. $76 million annual savings.
Economic Development Administration. $293 million annual savings.
Programs under the National and Community Services Act. $1.15 billion annual savings.
Applied Research at Department of Energy. $1.27 billion annual savings.
FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership. $200 million annual savings.
Energy Star Program. $52 million annual savings.
Economic Assistance to Egypt . $250 million annually.
U.S. Agency for International Development. $1.39 billion annual savings.
General Assistance to District of Columbia . $210 million annual savings.
Subsidy for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. $150 million annual savings.
Presidential Campaign Fund. $775 million savings over ten years.
No funding for federal office space acquisition. $864 million annual savings.
End prohibitions on competitive sourcing of government services.
Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act. More than $1 billion annually.
IRS Direct Deposit: Require the IRS to deposit fees for some services it offers (such as processing payment plans for taxpayers) to the Treasury, instead of allowing it to remain as part of its budget. $1.8 billion savings over ten years..
Require collection of unpaid taxes by federal employees. $1 billion total savings.WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Prohibit taxpayer funded union activities by federal employees. $1.2 billion savings over ten years.
Sell excess federal properties the government does not make use of. $15 billion total savings.
Eliminate death gratuity for Members of Congress. Lord help us!!!!!
Eliminate Mohair Subsidies. $1 million annual savings.
Eliminate taxpayer subsidies to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. $12.5 million annual savings
Eliminate Market Access Program. $200 million annual savings.
USDA Sugar Program. $14 million annual savings.
Subsidy to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). $93 million annual savings.
Eliminate the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program. $56..2 million annual savings.
Eliminate fund for Obamacare administrative costs. $900 million savings.
Ready to Learn TV Program. $27 million savings..
HUD Ph.D. Program.
Deficit Reduction Check-Off Act.
TOTAL SAVINGS: $2.5 Trillion over Ten Years
To these, I would add the entire Dept of Energy and Dept of Education. Neither have done anything of significance since they were created. We operated nicely without these two departments before they were created. They cost of tens of millions of dollars to accomplish what????
My question is, WHAT is all this doing in the budget in the first place?
PS Writes: “..So once more, a short civics lesson. Budgets do not come from the White House. They come from Congress…”
Yes, the absolute root of the gross misspending and gross overspending is Congress.
http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_A1Sec7.html
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Thank you Harriet. I think it’s important to note that republicans have a budget on the table that includes reform of Medicare. The president and Dems in congress have not proposed a budget at all and yet claim to be seriously willing to negotiate.
Can any of our progressive readers give us the list of possible cuts submitted by the Democrats? How about the President?
They keep saying they are willing to negotiate but offer nothing but generalities and tax hikes. The president has said everything is on the table but he’s unwilling to put his butt on the line and say where/how he would cut spending.
Article 1 – The Legislative Branch
Section 7 – Revenue Bills, Legislative Process, Presidential Veto
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All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.
Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by Yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law.
Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill.
Thanks for that link Mark.
The democrats have not had a budget, When they had both houses and the presidency, they chose not to have a budget, Pelosi said “We don’t need a new one, use the exisitng” I am paraphrasing of course, but the results are the same. No budget. Now that the republicans have the house the democrats are willing to fight over a budget.
I have never seen a spending bill without a president’s signature. I have never heard of Congress overriding a presidnt’s veto on spending.
It’s fun to blame Congress–unless the Republicans are in charge of the House, Senate and White House (then, just simply blame it on the Democratic minority), but the fault lies with the fellow who lives where the buck is supposed to stop.
Laughing at us: You are right, the President is required to sign (approve) the budget and if he doesn’t it must go back for a 2/3rd vote to override his decision. Its a great check and balance, brilliantly conceived to protect us from our government. I think the government should shut down – lets see the President lead them to a deal. He has the bully pulpit, lets see what he can do with it, because so far he’s shown me nothing.
The last and longest government shutdown in American history was when Democrat Bill Clinton was President and Newt Gingrich was the Speaker of the Republican Congress in November 1995 and in December 1995 through to January 1996.
The clash over the 1996 budget caused a government shutdown for six days in the first shutdown and for 21 days during the second shutdown. High partisanship affected the budget negotiation process resulting in the shutdown. According to Charles Tien writing on continuing resolutions in Robert E. Dewhirst, John David Rausch Encyclopedia of the United States Congress, The government has shut down (partially) a total of 11 times since 1980; the fiscal year 1996 budget battle included two lengthy shutdowns.
To avoid or end a government shutdown, the president or Congress must pass either the regular appropriation bill or a continuing resolution.”
“The Washington Post babbled again today about Obama inheriting a huge deficit from Bush. Amazingly enough, a lot of people believe this.”
The chart at the top of this post clearly shows a deficit of 1.85 trillion dollars for FY ’09. Many of us know FY ’09 started 3 and a half months before Obama took office (the same time that chart was made). Amazingly enough, a lot of people believe this chart which clearly shows Obama inherited a 1.85 trillion dollar debt from George W. Bush. Why shouldn’t they?
Laughing: “The chart at the top of this post clearly shows a deficit of 1.85 trillion dollars for FY ’09. Many of us know FY ’09 started 3 and a half months before Obama took office (the same time that chart was made).”
Yes. It also shows the deficit was declining and headed toward the zero line under Republican budgets. Then in 2007 Democrats were given control of the House and suddenly the deficit line began to reverse. Now I agree that Bush signed the democrat written budget. Unfortunately, he believed that the people had spoken when Pelosi was awarded the gavel and the Speakers chair but you cannot deny that their budgets were filled with more spending. The mess that made 2009 very high has its roots in democrat policies going back to Carter top put poor people in houses they couldn’t afford.
I don’t mind holding republicans responsible but the propensity to blame them and then give none of the responsibility to Democrats is laughable and grossly in error.
Bill Clinton is always credited with a surplus…but it was Republicans who wrote the budgets he signed…also he escaped blame for the .com bubble that handed a recession to Bush. This blame game is inconsistant but what is also always forgotten is that if Clinton and the Democrats had gotten what they wanted his budgets would have shown massive deficits.