Free Republic

Blaming budget cuts, the Obama administration early next year will cut the number of National Guard troops patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border by at least half, according to a congressman who was briefed on the plan. The National Guard said an announcement will be made by the White House “in the near future,” but Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican who has learned of the plans, said slashing the deployment in half is the minimum number, and he said it will mean reshuffling the remaining troops along the nearly 2,000-mile border. In California, that will mean going from 264 Guard troops...

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul said that, if the congressional supercommittee fails to reach a deficit-reduction agreement before Thanksgiving, that might be the best way to force the government to cut spending. "It's sort of like telling your children that, if you don't clean up your mess — or else," Paul said today on CNN's "State of the Union." "Really, maybe we need the ‘or else’ because Congress isn't behaving the way they should be behaving. Maybe sequestration is our only way we will get any kind of cuts." Sequestration, the term used for automatic spending cuts that will be...

A new congressional report spells out in detail how the military would become "hollow" if Congress´ supercommittee fails to agree on deficit reductions, triggering $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts. The Army and Marine Corps would lose 200,000 troops, bringing active strength "well below" pre-Sept. 11, 2001, levels, and the armed forces would not be able to carry out its essential mission, says a 14-page analysis by the Republican majority staff of the House Armed Services Committee. The report also says the cuts would deplete weapon systems, further degrading the fighting capabilities of the armed forces. Defense Secretary Leon E....

Save the Lightning Why we need the F-35 By Thomas Donnelly The Weekly Standard Tuesday, September 6, 2011 Thanks to the provisions of the Budget Control Act and the subsequent directions of President Obama's budget director, Jack Lew, the Department of Defense is figuring out how to trim $1 trillion from its current and planned budgets. Perhaps the principal target in the sights is the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program (aka the Lightning II)—a fact that neatly encapsulates the Pentagon's severe budgetary, programmatic, operational, and strategic problems. It's only modest hyperbole to conclude that as fares the Lightning, so fares...

I sat forlorn in a discount haircut franchise watching as my hair fell to the floor whilst what remaining on my head began looking similar to unwanted patches of crab grass in my lawn. I handed over my $5.00 off coupon and grimaced as the total still came to $12.00. Why was I paying money for a haircut I could from a chance encounter between my head and the weed whacker in my garage?

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Tuesday against budget cuts that could force an abrupt pullout of the US security presence in the Pacific at a time when China's power is rising. The debate over reducing the US debt "does cast a pall over our ability to project the kind of security interests that are in America's interests," Clinton told officers at the National Defense University. "We need to have a responsible conversation about how we are going to prepare ourselves for the future and there are a lot of issues that are not in the headlines but...

'Doomsday' Defense Cuts Loom Large For Select 12 By DONNA CASSATA - Associated Press August 14, 2011WASHINGTON (AP) — For the dozen lawmakers given the task of producing a deficit-cutting plan, the threatened "doomsday" defense cuts hit close to home. The six Republicans and six Democrats represent states where the biggest military contractors — Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics Corp., Raytheon Co. and Boeing Co. — build missiles, aircraft, jet fighters and tanks while employing tens of thousands of workers. The potential for $500 billion more in defense cuts could force the Pentagon to cancel or scale back multibillion-dollar weapons programs....

President Obama continues to call for a “balanced approach” when it comes to raising the debt ceiling. In fact, he did so seven times during his primetime speech to the nation this past Monday. So what is the president’s idea of a balanced approach? Well we know he continues to call for an increase in revenue which is simply Madison Avenue speak for raising taxes. To many Americans this probably sounds like a good idea, we just need more money so the government can meet its obligations. But where will that money come from? According to the president it’s going...

A House panel on Thursday endorsed a ban on giving federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information, a fresh effort to reverse Obama administration policy. On the second day of a marathon session, the House Foreign Affairs Committee struggled to complete a sweeping foreign aid bill that would block U.S. assistance to Pakistan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority unless the Obama administration reassures Congress that they are combatting terrorism. It also would slash U.S. contributions to international organizations and limit President Barack Obama's authority on overseas issues. Overall, the bill would cut $6.4 billion from...

Under New Proposed Inflation Measure Seniors Would Lose $720 per Year in Social Security PaymentsEconomic Policy JournalRobert WenzelJuly 18, 2011 As I have pointed out before, as part of the current deficit-reduction talks, White House officials and Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle are advocating changes to the way inflation is calculated by using a method to measure inflation known as the "chained consumer price index." This method would likely result in a slower inflation adjustment rate payment on social security. So if you think the current CPI doesn't reflect price inflation accurately, just wait until the SS...

Proposed House cuts to the Executive Office of the President's (EOP) budget will hurt administration efforts to cut the deficit, the White House argues. The Obama administration made the argument in comments on H.R. 2434, the 2012 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act. That bill could be on the House floor as early as next week, and would decrease funding for the EOP from $705 million to $640 million. "The level of resources provided in the bill would significantly impact the EOP's role in assisting the president in carrying out his constitutional duties as head of the executive branch,...

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he will send layoff notices to up to 625 city employees today as he tries to close a $30 million budget hole. Custodians, call center operators at the city's water department and seasonal workers at the Department of Transportation will be among those affected. Emanuel said he will close an entire $30 million budget hole left by the expiration of a deal with City Hall labor unions for unpaid days off. The mayor previously had turned up the pressure on unions for concessions or cost-cutting ideas at a series of news conferences. "It has been two...

The Sneaky Way They Plan on Cutting Social Security BenefitsJuly 8, 2011 Talk of changing the way the CPI is calculated is now part of on going talks on how to deal with the debt expansion. Reuters explains bluntly what is going on: President Barack Obama and lawmakers are considering cutting Social Security and increasing revenue by changing the way the government measures inflation. Four senior congressional aides said lawmakers are discussing using an alternative yardstick to gauge inflation, known as the “chained consumer price index,” to determine annual cost-of-living adjustments for millions of Americans. How much of an impact...

California college students are bracing for higher tuition bills and fewer courses and campus services under a new state budget that once again slashes spending on higher education. The budget signed Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown inflicts the latest blow to California's renowned higher education system, which has helped make the state an economic powerhouse and served as a model for other states and countries.

Today New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed legislation requiring state workers to contribute more to their health and retirement benefits to help meet budget shortfalls. New Jersey has more than a half-million, mostly union employees, whose pension system is facing an estimated $110 billion budget shortfall according to Fox New York. Angry union members have been protesting the proposed changes but one must stop to ask why? Union boss and frequent White House visitor Richard Trumka is fond of saying that the rich don’t pay their fair share in this country. Evidently Mr. Trumka is a casualty of our education...

Not just cops and firefighters, either. Spectators watched too, including his elderly stepmother, who was too frail to dive into the water herself.It took an hour. Weaver noted that a 2009 policy – revoked this week – prohibited firefighters from participating in water rescues. The policy was implemented after budget cuts ended water-rescue training. OK, I counter, but surely some first responders had been trained before 2009. Weaver’s answer: Yes, but they lacked the right equipment.Weaver assured me that the firefighters who were on the scene feel horrible about what happened. “Every one of our members who was on that...

Earlier today, I posted about the California Teachers Association’s plan to occupy the State Capitol on May 9-13 as part of the union’s protests to increase tax revenue for the state’s schools and teachers. I now have further information, including the news that CTA has budgeted $1 million for the protests.The union has set up a web site of material for activists at CAstateofemergency.com. The documents include the handout I posted earlier, plus a 10-page list of “potential activities” the CTA State Council dreamed up. The State Council consists of more than 700 elected union representatives from all across the...

Once again the Republican leadership caves and then tries to tell us they won. Just six weeks ago our mealy-mouthed leadership told us they were going to cut $100 billion from this year’s budget. A few short weeks later the gutless wonders leading our party reduced that number to $60 billiondollars. Then late last night the well tanned amoeba, John Boehner caved to the socialist-in-chief and settled on $38 billion. Boehner has been tooting his own horn saying that this is the largest budget cut in history. Well of course it’s the largest cut in history, you fools in Congress...

Morris: "I want a cut of $61 billion. I want the Republicans in Congress to keep the campaign commitment to the American people of a $100 billion cut. And I'm shocked at your interview with Congresswoman Bachmann. She was saying, 'Oh, there's going to be a deal, they'll come together, there'll be a compromise'. Well a compromise that is less than $61 is BREAKING THE PROMISE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. And, above all....

If you propose stiff budget cuts and don't get called "heartless," does it re ally count? Republicans passed an unheard-of $61 billion in budget cuts a few weeks ago, and not only have lived to tell the tale, but have emerged without a scratch. They piled all of them on one slice of the budget (nonsecurity discretionary spending) over a compressed period (half of the remaining fiscal year), magnifying their impact and opening themselves to avenues of attack so obvious that the average College Democrat could write the campaign plan. The usual liberal outfits raised the usual alarms. "House Bill...