Posted on 04/09/2018 10:06:46 PM PDT by lowbuck
The White House is seriously considering a strategy to cancel tens of billions of dollars of wasteful spending in the $1.3 trillion budget signed by President Donald Trump last month.
It's a great idea, and Republicans should welcome a high-stakes budget showdown with congressional Democrats, given the unpopularity of the omnibus budget. Trump has a potent tool at his disposal to not spend money.
It is called rescission authority -- a power created by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974.
Here's how it works: The president submits a proposal to cancel unnecessary funds. Both chambers of Congress must affirmatively agree to the proposal within 45 days; otherwise, the funds must be spent as appropriated. Because rescission requires affirmative consent from Congress, the House or Senate can ignore the request without a vote.
Ronald Reagan used rescissions to save billions of dollars. Over his eight years in office, Reagan proposed 596 rescissions, totaling $43 billion. Congress ultimately approved 213 of Reagan's rescissions, for a savings of $16 billion -- or roughly $34 billion after adjusting for inflation.
Sadly, in the years since Reagan left office, Congress has approved less than $6 billion worth of additional rescissions. According to the Government Accountability Office, no president has submitted a rescission proposal since fiscal 2000, and Congress hasn't approved one since fiscal 1999.
The beauty of this approach is that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who demanded much of this extra spending, would not be able to stop a rescission, as long as Republicans stood together. Our research on the fine print of the law shows that the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 limits debate in the Senate "on any rescission bill or impoundment resolution, and all amendments thereto (in the case of a rescission bill) and debatable motions and appeals in connection therewith ... to not more than 10 hours."
This means that Schumer and the Democrats could delay a vote on a rescission but couldn't prevent it. At some point, the debate would end, and the Senate can approve a rescission bill with 51 votes. That's how many votes Republicans now have.
But would Republicans stick together? Some Senate GOP appropriators are nervous about revisiting the budget -- ugly as it is. Many of them like all the extra pork just as much as Democrats do. Schumer is screaming that this would break the budget deal they reached earlier this year with Trump. Yes, a budget deal to break the bank!
Trump could use the rescission to save hundreds of billions of dollars on wasteful urban transit projects with few actual riders. He could also cancel spending for the Gateway Tunnel in New York City -- a tunnel so expensive that New Yorkers who might actually use it have announced they have no interest in paying for it themselves.
This would also set up an excruciatingly tough vote for vulnerable Senate Democrats in West Virginia, Indiana, Montana and North Dakota -- all of whom tell their voters they are fiscal conservative debt hawks. Well, we will see.
For Trump to win here, he would have to do what Reagan did: take his case for fiscal solvency directly to the American people. Voters are fully aware of the dangers of a $21 trillion national debt that grows by $1 trillion every year. There's little downside in running against the spendaholics in Congress. If the big spenders in Congress vote to save the pork and the waste, he can make an even stronger case to the American people as to why the president must have a line-item veto.
Even if the effort falls short (thanks RINO's) it offers political benefits for the fall elections. To wit:
"This would also set up an excruciatingly tough vote for vulnerable Senate Democrats in West Virginia, Indiana, Montana and North Dakota -- all of whom tell their voters they are fiscal conservative debt hawks."
PRyno is a Snake wrt the duties/prerogatives of The House.
He needs to be rounded up and waterboarded at Gitmo’.
Good summary and information. Trump should do this as a poor man’s line item veto, then use his bully pulpit as president to put the on the spot to approve the cuts. Yes, MAGA.
Sadly, I don’t think the votes are there to pass it.
That said, get this a-holes on record and see if they can defend it in their primaries.
how long has it been since Republicans stood together? Ain’t gonna happen. Very dissapointing presidency.
The Republican votes themselves are not there in this Congress — starting with China’s globalist puppet Mitch McConnell and continuing with the many RINOs who would vote no on most recissions.
The House might have the votes, not the Senate. The Omnibus was forced by the Senate. Senate Republicans have only a 50-49 advantage, with McCain absent.
You are correct.. it’s all kabuki. If you didn’t want to spend trillions, refuse to sign.. obama had the nerve to refuse legislation that didn’t meet his progressive agenda, so I don’t buy it. Same with Obamacare and the wall. It’s the same old song and dance... chuck n Nancy deals are like putting bullets in your enemies weapon,then painting a target on yourself at 5 yards.
He is rewarding them and their voters with trillions of taxpayer money while signing anti 2A legislation. But now that’s known as winning.. along with shovel ready infrastructure union bailout cash.
“Senate Republicans have only a 50-49 advantage, with McCain absent.”
The rescission process only requires a majority vote - 50 is still greater than 49. More importantly it only takes 20 votes to get a vote to discharge out of committee with only one hour of debate - and then the actual debate on the bill is also time limited.
Trump should use his bully tweetpulpit to make a daily rescission request starting with the most egregious pork that has the least justification. At least 20 Republican Senators can be found to initiate a recission bill and after 25 calendar days get it discharged out of committee to force an initial vote. Make them all squirm and dare not to rescind the pork. Makes for a great way the Republicans could get tenuous Democrats and tbeir own RINOs to prove their fiscal positions they will be arguing for in the election.
As likely to pass as the half breed signing an anti-DeathCare bill. First of all, you can’t get the 51 Republican Senators to agree on the Sun rising in the East. Secondly, McConnell would never bring such a bill up for a vote.
Nice try, though.
Nice tactic, throw it in the republicans lap and bring it to the American people right before the 2018 elections. The rats are cockblocked and the republicans are in the middle
Nice to see Trump has a way to fight back because he will.
That's the key. Get the congressional a-holes on record before the primaries and the general elections.
From the article “That’s how many votes Republicans now have.”
Should read “That’s how many votes Republicans now have because they banded together to prevent an additional Republican being elected”.
Ping
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