Posted on 06/03/2012 4:59:31 AM PDT by harpu
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which took office in January 2011, has enacted federal spending bills under which the national debt has increased more in less than one term of Congress than in the first 97 Congresses combined.
In the fifteen months that the Republican-controlled House of Representatives--led by Speaker John Boehner--has effectively enjoyed a constitutional veto over federal spending, the federal government’s debt has increased by about $1.59 trillion.
Article 1, Section 9, Clause 7 of the Constitution says: “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” A law appropriating money cannot be enacted unless it is approved by the House.
The approximately $1.59 trillion in new debt accumulated since the Republican-controlled House gained a veto over federal spending legislation is more than the total increase in the federal debt between 1789, when the first Congress convened, and October 1984, when the 98th Congress was nearing the end of its second session.
Rep. Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania served as speaker in the first Congress. Rep. Tip O’Neill of Massachusetts served his third term as speaker in the 98th Congress.
When Boehner became speaker on Jan. 5, 2011, the federal government was operating under a continuing resolution that had been passed on Dec. 21, 2010 by a lame-duck Congress. That CR expired on March 4, 2011.
On March 1, 2011, Boehner agreed to a new short-term spending deal with President Barack Obama and Democratic congressional leaders to keep the government running past the March 4, 2011 expiration of the old CR. Since March 4, 2011, federal expenditures have been carried out under a series of CRs approved by both the Republican-controlled House and the Democrat-controlled Senate and signed into law by President Obama.
At the close of business on March 4, 2011, the total federal debt was $14,182,627,184,881.03, according to the Treasury Department's Bureau of the Public Debt. At the close of business on May 31, 2012, it was 15,770,685,085,364.14. That is an increase of $1,588,057,900,483.11—in just 15 months.
All of the debt accumulated by the federal government throughout the history of the country did not exceed $1.588 trillion until October 1984.
Under the Republican-controlled House, the federal debt has been increasing at an average pace of about $105.9 billion per month.
Frederick Muhlenberg served two non-consecutive terms as speaker--in the first and third Congresses. At the end of the first Congress, in 1791, the total debt of the federal government was about $75.5 million, according to the U.S. Treasury.
Tip O’Neill served as speaker in the 95th through 99th Congresses, from 1977 through 1986.
At the end of September 1984, during the 98th Congress, the total national debt was approximately $1,572,266,000,000.00, according to the Treasury Department’s Monthly Statement of the Public Debt for that month. At the end of October 1984, it was $1,611,537,000,000.00, according to the Monthly Statement of the Public Debt.
Ahhh, that would be the CURRENT GOP CONGRESS let by Speaker OBonner!!
BALLS...is doing the right thing and not worrying about one's political career in DC.
BRAINS...is not handing the House back over to the Democrats by energizing their base and giving the MSM all the ammunition that they need to destroy us!
It seems you prefer Democrats controlling the government....
NO, my ignorant friend, I'm a person with VALUES, a CENTER, and a CORE that I want to be known for.
You, on the other hand, need to buy yourself a mirror.
Poor A.Hun. Don’t you know that Boehner has the ability to work miracles if only he would? ;)
This topic has undergone a contentious discussion on a previous FR thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2890902/posts
I’ll repeat my take: stratospheric deficits were baked into the system with the first Pelosi/Reed/Obama budget, and in a stroke of perverse brilliance, the donkeys have set up a system in which the GOP House either a) gets blamed for continued massive deficit spending or b) gets blamed for a government shutdown that is Obama’s only route to reelection (short of reselling his soul to the devil). As long as the dem’s control the Senate, those are the only options.
And there is no lack of conservatives and FReepers willing to get sucked in by this ploy of the donkey party.
The debt problem lies squarely at the feet of the American people and it will be carried on their shoulders and taken out of their hides.
Misleading - The Senate is under Harry Reid, Democrat.
Those guys are calling me about weekly right now for money, at least every other week.
I laugh in their faces.
However, the topic (IMHO) deserves continued review and comment.
-PJ
The House still had to agree with all of the above so they are responsible as all appropration bills must come from the House!
SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT AND FIRE 90% OF ALL FEDERAL WORKERS ALONG WITH ELIMINATING THE OUTFITS THEY COLLECT WHITE COLLAR WELFARE FROM!!!!!!!!!!
Perhaps Boehner et al thought in 2011 that “doing the right thing” in the 2011 budget debacle was to not allow obama pelosi and reid to kill the hostages (the US debt rating, social security recipients, MEDICARE patents and military members) and to attempt to craft a “box” deal that would hold the democrats in check if the spending cuts part of the deal did not materialize
I do believe Boner et al always underestimate the depths of the depravity of democrat partisanship ... as a lockstep bloc the democrats have been consistent in putting PARTY ahead of nation, true believers that the PARTY is the best choice for the nation no matter what the PARTY has to do to rule the nation
I dont know
Most of the CNS comments seem to ask the same thing
Actually, I’m glad you posted/reposted the article - it is of critical importance, and it should be viewed and pondered by as many FReepers as possible.
And despite the glib comments of a number of respondents, the problem defies a simple solution. I’d love to see a government shutdown if it showed the country how much of the federal Leviathan we could do without. But if a government shutdown gave us 4 more years of Obama, it would be an unmitigated disaster - and the MSM would pull out all the stops to steer public opinion in a direction that posited Obama as our hero and savior.
I expect this topic (”the GOP congress has now assumed responsibility for record deficits”) to be a drawing card for a variety of FR disruptors and sympathy trolls, and I hope readers will consider the discussion of it accordingly.
GWBush took office and the debt was $6 trillion...
therefore, he jacked up the debt by $4 trillion in 8 years
Bush increased debt by 1.2 trillion in his first six years from a starting point of 4.7 trillion. Then the dims took congress and debt went up a lot faster. 3.1 trillion in two years. Since January 07 debt has increased ten trillion.
Either you’re ignorant of the way our political system works, or you just don’t give a damn.
I live in a real United States, where you have to be voted into office, and are constrained by the Constitution and your constituents as to what you can do.
Getting your self booted out of office, in a fight you cannot win, handing all power over to your opponent is not a smart strategy.
Slowing your opponent, taking small victories where you can, and improving your position of power makes absolute sense.
Boehner, given the real power to effect change, would do so. We have Ryan with the blueprints, we just have to remove Obama and Reid to get started.
Both of you are happier blaming Republicans for perceived shortcomings rather than blaming the Dems that deserve that blame.
Is it ignorance or do you, for some ungodly reason, prefer Democrats?
I think people who call for the govt to be “shut down” and “90% of all federal workers to be fired” are blowing angry smoke, and not willing to recognize how that would affect their own lives, not just their neighbors, communities, and our national security
How about no air flights for lack of safety checks and air traffic control systems? How about no pay for the military or for employees of VA hospitals?
How about no mortgages due to lack of govt funding, no loans for education?
How about no social security checks for your parents or elderly neighbors? How about slow or no food or fuel deliveries due to lack of industry inspectors,no payments to farmers, and transportation safety inspectors?
How about no oversight over our own national nuclear assets, both those used for energy and for weapons?
How about even less drugs and medical equipment due to no inspection and oversight of production, or no approvals for new research and production lines shutdown due to no govt orders of mass batches for public safety?
How about no payment to doctors labs and hospitals for treating MEDICARE MEDICAID VA and other govt insured patients?
No payments to the states either, for all the programs run on federal grants. Prepared to write a big check for state and property tax increases
How about a default by our govt on repaying debt, and the reaction by China and other debt holders
How about the international financial downgrade of US govt debt to high risk junk debt? Prepared to pay for the higher interest rate needed to sell and pay our debt?
You may not like the extensive entanglement of the federal govt into our everyday lives - most of us on FR do NOT - but a preemptory shutdown and social breakdown is NOT the way to dismantle it and just sounds petulant.
The bottom line is that no budget can be passed, because Harry Reid in the senate refuses to permit budget hearings, so the House is unable to pass a budget either.
Instead, Reid demands that the House either pass perpetual continuing resolutions to fund the government “at current levels”, or be blamed for “shutting down the government”. This has gone on for the *entire* Obama administration.
This is a win-win as far as the Democrats are concerned, the continuation of the last bloated budget created years ago.
And the Republicans know that if they refuse, the MSM will savage them, just like it did during the Clinton administration. So they are between a rock and a hard place.
90% of what you just said should be eliminated!!!!
If you can’t exist without the federal government lie down in the street and die, you’re a usless eater!
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