An Additional $47 Billion in Spending Cuts for the Continuing Resolution
Brian Riedl /
House Republicans are now pledging to reduce fiscal year 2011 discretionary spending to $100 billion below President Obama’s original request. As reported, this new budget proposal would:
- Unwisely reduces security spending by $16 billion relative to President Obama’s request; and
- Reduce non-security spending by $84 billion relative to President Obama’s request and by $69 billion compared to the 2010 level.
Rather than stop at $84 billion, lawmakers could seek a full $100 billion reduction in non-security discretionary spending. Defense should be funded at the level proposed in the FY2011 president’s budget. This would bring that spending down to 2005 levels for the final seven months of the fiscal year (and 2008 levels over the full year) and create a new, lower baseline that could save nearly $2 trillion over the decade.
The House Appropriations Committee has released a partial list of its non-security discretionary spending cuts. Using a recent Heritage Foundation paper specifying larger federal spending cuts, lawmakers could add the following $47 billion in 2011 reductions (with savings listed over seven months): (more…)