Reflections on the Conservative Budget From the Lawmaker Tasked With Crafting It
Melissa Quinn /
The Republican Study Committee’s budget didn’t pass the House, but the lawmaker in charge of crafting the proposal as head of the group’s Budget and Spending Task Force is reflecting on the mark it’s made on the Republican conference.
The House voted on six budget proposals Wednesday, which included the Republican Study Committee’s “Blueprint for a Balanced Budget.” Using a rule called “Queen of the Hill,” the proposal receiving the most votes was the budget that won.
Ultimately, the RSC’s fiscal blueprint did not pass the test, failing 132-294. But, the proposal satisfied many House Republicans’ priorities.
The budget balanced. It addressed entitlement reform, increased defense spending, and garnered support from the conference.
“We got the majority of the majority of Republicans,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., told The Daily Signal in an interview. “We had a lot of positive comments regarding how we structured the RSC budget and the fact that it’s very clear, it’s bold, and it achieved the principles that are important to a lot of our folks.”
“We got the majority of the majority of Republicans,” said @RepStutzman.
The RSC’s budget—crafted in just over a month with input from many of the group’s members—balanced in six years and boosted defense spending to $570 billion. It also repealed the Affordable Care Act through budget reconciliation and enacted reforms to grow the economy.
While Republicans in the past have shied away from entitlement reform, Stutzman’s blueprint also reformed safety-net programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid by enacting premium support to Medicare and allocating money for Medicaid as a block grant, in which states receive a lump sum of money from the government to use at their discretion.
Enacting these reforms, Stutzman said, ensures the programs remain solvent for decades to come.
“I think it’s only fair from generation to generation that we keep commitments to seniors today, but let future generations have the opportunity to save for themselves and make sure the tax burden is not so high that they don’t have opportunities to be successful in life,” he said.
Among Republican lawmakers in the House, spending on defense proved to be a point of contention as leadership worked to satisfy the concerns of both defense and fiscal hawks. Defense hawks called for additional spending for the Defense Department, while fiscal hawks wanted to enforce mandatory spending caps.
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The House budget that was ultimately approved boosted the Pentagon’s Overseas Contingency Operations fund to $96 billion.
Stutzman told The Daily Signal he considers himself both a defense and fiscal hawk, and praised the RSC budget for increasing the Pentagon’s spending while cutting non-defense spending. However, he urged those calling for more money for the Defense Department to find ways to offset spending.
“The place we’re going to have to reform for savings is our entitlement programs,” he said. “I wish defense hawks would help us with that. Now that the budget is passed, let’s go back and take a look at the big picture, and look at the other 70 percent of the budget that is primarily non-defense spending.”
The RSC is a 170-member caucus established in 1973 that advocates for a conservative agenda. RSC Chairman Bill Flores, R-Texas, named Stutzman chair of the Budget and Spending Task Force last month.
The Indiana Republican co-owns Stutzman Family Farms in Howe, Ind. The farm grows soybeans, green beans and seed corn.
Before becoming a member of the House, he served nearly a decade in the state legislature. Stutzman ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2010, finishing behind Dan Coats in the Republican primary. Coats currently holds the Senate seat, but announced this week he would be retiring.
“We’re definitely thinking about it,” @RepStutzman said of a Senate run in 2016.
Speculation of Stutzman making another run for the Senate in 2016 has already begun to spread. Stutzman told The Daily Signal that he, his wife and two sons are in a place where they can “seriously evaluate both sides.”
“We’re definitely thinking about it,” he said. “I’m talking to my wife and family, and as we talk with folks, [we’ll] find out where I can make the best difference for conservative values and reforms. If it’s in the Senate, we’ll definitely consider that. If it’s better to be in the House, we’ll consider that as well.”
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