The Heritage Foundation on Monday threw its support behind a spending agreement reached as a compromise among House Republicans.
The budget deal was reached between leaders of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and the Republican Main Street Caucus, a group of House members that describe themselves as pragmatic conservatives.
“The proposal cuts spending and seeks to end a worsening, self-inflicted border crisis,” The Heritage Foundation’s statement says, as first reported in Politico. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s multimedia news organization.)
A continuing resolution would fund the government beyond Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year, and avert a shutdown of any government operations.
“On the spending front, the proposal temporarily reduces non-defense, non-veterans, and non-disaster relief spending by more than 8% from fiscal year (FY) 2023 levels,” Heritage’s statement says. “By maintaining current FY 2023 funding levels for defense and veterans, it marks a nearly 1% cut from FY 2023 spending levels overall. More needs to be done to rein in out-of-control government spending, but this is a start.”
The statement adds:
The conservatives in the House of Representatives who crafted this deal are to be commended for taking seriously the two crises facing our nation. The House must continue to fight to secure the border and for more, permanent spending cuts to reduce our ruinous deficit and debt, curb inflation that is hurting American families, and rein in the woke and weaponized government.
Last week, Heritage President Kevin Roberts joined members of the House Freedom Caucus in a press conference outside the Capitol to call for an end to reckless government spending.
Democrats asked for a “clean” continuing resolution that would fund government at current levels, while many Republicans called for fiscal responsibility and border enforcement.
Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, tweeted Monday: “HFC Members have worked over the weekend with the Main Street Caucus on a path forward to fund the government and secure America’s border. We now have a framework for our colleagues across the House Republican Conference.”
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