Shocker: $23.8 Out of $38.5 Billion in Budget “Cuts” Result of Accounting Shenanigans…
End result: $14.7 billion in actual cuts.
(National Journal) — The meat of the spending deal struck between the two parties late Friday night was revealed in a legislative omnibus released early Tuesday morning. The specifics show that finding nearly $40 billion in cuts during the 2011 fiscal year required clever accounting and, for the White House, a willingness to concede on rhetoric to find gains on substance.
For example, the final cuts in the deal are advertised as $38.5 billion less than was appropriated in 2010, but after removing rescissions, cuts to reserve funds, and reductions in mandatory spending programs, discretionary spending will be reduced only by $14.7 billion.
White House officials said throughout the process that the composition of the cuts was more important than the top-line number, and that including mandatory cuts allowed that top line to grow while limiting the immediate impact of the cuts.
The move also keeps the 2011 discretionary baseline slightly higher, a terrain advantage for the Democrats heading into the 2012 spending process.
Republican press releases are pointing out that the deal eliminates four White House policy “czars,” but those positions had already been phased out by the White House — the health care policy director after Obama’s health care plan became law, and the “auto czar” following the government restructuring of General Motors and Chrysler.
Despite finding common ground on many cuts, Republicans say the bill sets the stage for further cuts in a vote to raise the government’s borrowing limit and in 2012 spending, shifting the conversation in Washington.
Still, the GOP collected its pound(s) of flesh from the $1.3 trillion federal budget and Obama’s priorities: $1.6 billion in reductions at the Environmental Protection Agency, though that is nearly half what the House asked for in February; nearly a billion from drinking water funds at the Department of the Interior; $2.9 billion in high-speed rail money, and hundreds of millions in public housing funds, among other savings.
Posted by ZIP on Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at 8:59 pm | 
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I think somebody got snookered…..
$100 billion!!! No, how bout $60 billion? Ok….38 billion? Ahh…fuck it….
“This deal is getting worse all the time!” … Lando Calrissian after being double-crossed by Darth Vader, Empire Strikes Back – 1980
Yeah, us (as always).
GAAAHH!!!! THROW BONE HEAD OUT!!!!! SPINELESS DOOF!!!!
It is impossible to cut this government in any meaningful way, it will continue to bloat until it explodes killing us all.
we would end up in jail for this kind of accounting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fucking GOP called my house this evening and my wife answered the phone. She told them they should be glad she answered the phone instead of her husband. Then she went on to tell them (GOP) the could expect NADA from the Sentinel household from here on out. She also told them they were without testicles from the “Weeper of the House” all the way down to our local rep. The caller then tried to debate that many Tea Partiers were cross-overs to the Republican Party and my wife rebutted with “not this family, not any more”. The caller then said the GOP was paying for the call and she had to go.
This is out-fucking-rageous! The GOP sells out the last of their base and then proceeds to fund raise so they can stay in business and fuck us some more!
Mrs. Sentinel said that GOP stands for “Gutless Old Politicians”. I couldn’t agree more!
we lost
Need to find an old cradle phone so when the GOP calls I can slam it down. BOIL THE TEA AND KEEP ON MOVING!!!!!
The numbers keep going down…by the end of the week we’ll find the Republicans agreed to have a spending increase.
@ Greg
It wouldn’t surprise me one bit.
Million Armed Man/Woman (PC instilled into me) March will be needed before too long!
Also put your rep on notice to be a no vote on this budget!!!! Or you’ll be a no vote on them when the election comes!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A&sns=em
Grrr! You GO, Pubs! We’re behind you…..until the next SNAFU…in 3…2…….
Was this nothing more then political theater? It seems like the answer is turning out to be yes. Rapidly losing faith that the current republican leadership intends to do anything to stop Obama. Unless they turn it around soon they have lost my vote.
You did your best, Boehner……just, please don’t CRY again….I”m runnung
out of clean hankies.
Said it before and I’ll say it again. I’m not surprised that the GOP could take a tactical advantage(majority in the house), and turn it into a total clusterfuck.
It is time for a new party. Not a 3rd party. A conservative party that takes 90% of those who really care about this county away from the GOP. Destroy the GOP, flush all the establishment types!
Two words… Your Fired!
Did you really think he meant business? Fool me once, shame on you – fool me twice, I’m in the Tea Party now.
I’ll bet Boehner feels like he was shot in the butt with a load of rock salt…
Be hard to show your face after this revelation… thinkin he did ok only to find out they were playing him all along…
He’s gotta hate these guys now, guess he has learned all he needs to know about the liberals now!
Whatcha going to do now John? What about that 2012 budget?
You better play it straight and not take it on yourself to cut any deals .. you better have these sharp, young, hard line, conservative elects looking over your shoulder and agreeing on strategy going forward.
On behalf of my children, and their children: F*ck you.
What? Obama and the Democrats didn’t bargain in good faith? I’m shocked !
Hopefully it gets voted down tomorrow. I’ll be paying close attention to who votes for and who votes against…
I hope you will all join me on the next march on Washington. I am ready and willing to go. Seems they have not gotten the message. Time to deliver it again.
I like the idea of a “Taxpayer’s Revolt” What would be a good day ? July 4 maybe ?
Fucking bonehead!
I wouldn’t be surprised that–in the end when all BS is accounted for—that they actually agreed to INCREASE spending….at our expense, of course.
I too am now a “Tea Party” man, no longer a Republican.
RINOs can go self-procreate.
All my money and my support will go to Tea Party candidates.
14 billion? And some of that is the border fence?
May you roast in hell, John Boner (spelling intentional).