In a 235-189 vote, House approves dramatic cuts in federal spending

Washington Post ^ | Washington Post

[sunmars]

In a rare early morning weekend vote, the House approved an aggressive plan Saturday to eliminate dozens of federal programs and offices while slashing agency budgets by as much as 40 percent, drawing out more than $60 billion in deficit savings.

Setting up a showdown early next month with President Obama and Senate Democrats, House Republicans pushed the legislation through after a marathon debate capped off by an all-night session Friday that spilled into Saturday morning. During the bleary-eyed final roll call at 4:35 a.m., 235 Republicans were joined by no Democrats in support of dramatic spending reductions that they said were needed to address a soaring annual deficit of $1.6 trillion; 189 Democrats -- as well as three Republicans -- opposed it, accusing Republicans of writing the bill with a "double meat ax."

For Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), it marked an early political victory as his newly empowered GOP troops lived up to a 2010 campaign pledge to trim spending levels to those before the 2008 financial crisis caused an unprecedented level of government spending and intervention into the private economy.

[firebrand]

Kucinich wants a Department of Peace.

[BelegStrongbow]

I understood the debate to be that 60 billion for 7 months comes to at least 100 billion at an annual rate.

[Thermalseeker]

Sorry, but “slashing” $60 billion out of a $3.5 trillion budget at a time when we are accumulating debt at a rate of $6 million a minute is hardly “dramatic”.......

[hinckley buzzard]

Voinovich was replaced with Rob Portman (R) last November.

[Soul Seeker]

Whatever.

They promise 100b which is small as it is. They couldn’t keep that promise because the establishment betrayed everyone so they can go to hell if they tink I give a damn about these cuts.

[hinckley buzzard]

If the House would have zeroed out this insane rail fetish, that's 53 billion in savings right there. Not a soul loses a job either.

[catfish1957]

5%????? 5%???????

That is a travesty. Kind of like telling a family to give up a hobby to reduce their budget. Our own GOP did not do what we ask them to do.

[cotton1706]

Veterans Affairs should also be back under defense.

[Gipper08]

This is a case where the POST is more accurate than Cantor. The GOP is using smoke and mirrors to appear to be cutting more than they are.

[Joann37]

Thanks for those names. You did what the media failed to do!

[Le Chien Rouge]

$60 billion in deficit savings is like throwing a couple of deck chairs off the Titanic.

It’s still sinking.

[Repeal The 17th]

More details from:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2011-147&sort=party
The three Republicans who voted “nay” are:
Rep. Jeff Flake - Arizona’s 6th District
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=400134
Rep. John Campbell - California’s 48th District
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=412011
and Rep. Walter Jones - North Carolina’s 3rd District
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=400209

There were also 2 Republicans (Ron Paul, TX; Ben Quale, AZ)
and 7 Democrats who did not vote.

[animal172]

Sure wish more people understood baseline budgeting.

[K-Stater]

In a 235-189 vote, House approves dramatic cuts in federal spending.

A less than 2% reduction in spending qualifies as 'dramatic'? We really are in sad shape then. And let's not forget this is barely half of the cuts that the GOP had been talking about a few short months ago.

[ratsreek]

I’m not sure about Jones, but Campbell and Flake would have been voting no because it wasn’t enough cuts even for the rest of this fiscal year.

[mulligan]

The joke of the week. Dramatic? What idiot wrote that headline. That is like a ‘zero cut’ in spending.

[BobL]

“So who were the 3 republicans who voted against spending cuts? “

---

From the article: “The three Republicans voting against the measure were Reps. Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Walter Jones (N.C.) and John Campbell (Calif.)”

This is where it gets fun. We still kicked butt in that vote, and the RINOs didn’t have a prayer in stopping it. It’s certainly nice to have a large majority in the House.

[Jabba the Nutt]

The state-run media is in cahoots with the establishment Republicans. Both want to blow smoke up out butts and tell us these are "dramatic" cuts. They're spit in Lake Michigan. Rounding errors in a $3.7 trillion budget with $1.6 trillion of that being deficit.

The GOP House leadership is showing its true colors, amoeba gray. They voted against anogther $22 billion in cuts. They refused to allow Steve King's amendment to defund ObamaCare and overall seem asleep at the switch. In this period of time in 2009, the Obama/Reid/Pelosi Democrats had passed the Porkulus bill and were moving ahead on all fronts.

Where are the subpoenas? Where's the outrage over Obama ignoring Federal court orders on ObamaCare and on the drilling in the Gulf? Where's the action?

I'll agree with Michelle Obama, "Let's Move". Get rolling!! Take action!! Go! GO! GOOOO!!!!

Where's the urgency?

[Cheerio]

$60 billion. Call me underwhelmed. At that rate we’ll have a handle on this deficit in about 1000 years.

It is worse than underwhelming - the first shot out of the cannon should have been the largest since both the Senate and the WH are in control of the Socialist RAT party and will pare it back. More like they will get a handle on it NEVER.

It was a good run America for 230+ years. If they ever can build a time machine I am going back to 1955.

[tiredoflaundry]

In a rare early morning weekend vote, the House approved an aggressive plan Saturday to eliminate dozens of federal programs and offices while slashing agency budgets by as much as 40 percent, drawing out more than $60 billion in deficit savings.

Anyone with half a brain knows this is a very small cut to the budget. But, I think that is what the Reps. wanted. *O* is already said the "V" word, and the left is getting all twisted in the panties over it. If the Reps play their cards right, this could work well for them at election time. Even the smallest of cuts is unacceptable for the Dems, meanwhile the country is demanding cuts.