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Thursday, September 22, 2005
GOP Uses Katrina As Excuse To De-Fund Government
The Republican Study Committee (RSC), a conservative group of House Republicans, has released a 24-page proposal they are (not so) cleverly calling "Opperation Offset," which details $500 billion in budget cuts they are proposing to reduce the overall cost of Katrina relief and reconstruction. The proposal has created friction among Republicans in Congress because the RSC wants to institute cuts that rehash policies they have promoted for years, including significant cuts to NASA, Amtrak subsidies, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Peace Corps, foreign aid, the Earned Income Tax Credit, the national park system, community health centers, agricultural subsidies, and many, many more. Other Republicans believe proposals making up the majority of the cuts, such as delaying the Medicare prescription drug benefit by one year or repealing earmarks in the recently passed transportation bill are not realistic and might divide conservatives and moderates.
Republican Party politics aside, this proposal is indicative of the "starve the beast" mentality that promotes huge tax cuts and then severe budget cuts to balance the budget. The result, unfortunately, is a dramatically decreased ability of the government to invest in communities and infrastructure. As was seen after the hurricane, these cuts do have consequences. The RSC's policies promote a short-term goal of shrinking government instead of a long-term investment agenda that will make the country more secure.
Posted by Adam Hughes
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