Obama Administration To Propose Freezing Non-Military Discretionary Spending

I guess it depends on the details here. What exactly is the difference between "discretionary spending" and "spending"?

Pulling money out of some places and putting more money into economic stimulus and creating jobs sounds like a pretty reasonable idea.

We're gonna party like it's 1937.

This kind of thinking will a.) give us a w-shaped recession and b.) not save a single seat in the fall. Needless to say the first guarantees a loss in 2012.

I thought these guys were smart.

I'll wait till more details come in. I would like to assume this is in line with what he said during the campaign. But this might be something Rethug-lite after the MA fiasco. At this point, nobody really knows.

(* That being said, the term "spending freeze" or "budget reduction" amidst this economy always leaves me feeling uneasy).

Because the Military does a great job at spending their discretionary budget in smart ways...what a ruse.

Harry Truman once said something to the effect of: If you give the people the choice between a Democrat that acts like a Republican and a Republican, the genuine article will win every time.

How about this: slash the Pentagon budget by half, end both the wars and use the savings to implement a crash program for green energy on a massive scale.

Am I the only one out there wondering what exactly he is "freeze"ing?

It's supposed to save $250 billion after 10 years? Really? The national budget is trillions of dollars each year, and he's going to "save" $25 billion a year?

That's only about a 0.5% budget reduction (freeze) per year.

Something isn't adding up here...

Is this the scalpel that Obama talked about? That's a big freakin' scalpel.

If they cut enough services and "Commission" a SSI budget that reduces pay outs, they might just have enough for a tax cut for the rich and a third "theater of combat" in the "war on terror" when Jeb takes office in 2012.

And who says the CIA...errr...government... cannot plan long term? It is all about euphemisms and real priorities.

Insert Orwellian reference here.

This is just plain stupid - Obama's plan will save 25 billion a year on a federal budget that is 900 bilion. So we are talking of savings of less than 3% per year. How is 3% savings going to make any difference is beyond me. This is a PR stunt, and it shows Obama has no plans to address the real issues facing us.

Well, it's not like he's cutting anything important like stuff to blow up villages, just HEALTH and HUMAN SERVICES. I guess HEALTH got such a bad name in MA that Obama just had to rush right in to let people know that the very FIRST thing he's going to cut is HEALTH.

I tell you if we elect Tim Pawlenty in 2012 you will not be able to tell the difference. That's exactly what Timmy did -- went right at HEALTH.

Discretionary funding (in terms of the federal budget) is anything that has to be debated and voted on annually. This includes funding for education, transportation, law enforcement, research, the environment, housing, many social services and other program areas. Mandatory funding includes programs like Social Security and Medicare.

This bullshit posturing is so blatantly transparent I'm starting to wonder if the Repub nitwits had a point about this guy being an empty suit who was long on speeches and short on substance? Seriously, the only place to start saving money is over at the 'ol Pentagon. Is he too afraid to go there? Looks like it.

This is 1937 all over again. Pretty much guaranteeing continued double-digit unemployment for at least the next three years if not longer.

What will it take for these people to realize that deficit reduction is NOT a winner at the ballot box. Good jobs, rising wages, health security, financial security, these are the things that win elections.

Is there just no end to the stupidity of Obama and his people? What a fucking moron! Freeze everything except the one thing we ought to freeze: the military budget. It's just beyond belief what a bunch of fucking idiots Obama and his people are. Why did he even run as a Democrat? Worthless coward.

The Repulicans are boxing him in. Token spending control efforts will be mocked. Marginal economic improvements will be blamed. Tax increases will be attacked. And the DEM voters will stay home. Checkmate.

TEN PERCENT UNEMPLOYMENT. Unbelievable.

At this point, it doesn't matter what Obama does. The folks don't trust him anymore. Unless congress turns over and he makes a mad dash to the center, people are going to remain holed up with their wallets until he's gone.

It's post traumatic stress disorder from bailouts, stinkulus bills, HCR debacles, trials for terrorists and an endless parade of unions and lobbyists marching through the White House.

He may as well go on vacation until November.

So because Bush spent like a drunken sailor means the Dems should have their chance? Spending needs to be brought under control. It's utterly ridiculous that defense spending isn't addressed, but how can you do that when you're fighting two wars. Not to mention the M-I-C is a big employer - jobs, jobs, jobs.

Maybe in three years time this will give Obama the cover to go after DOD spending, hopefully being out of both wars and Obama being in his second term and politically untouchable.

If this is true, and I hope it isn't, Obama is doomed. WTF.

This looks like classic tri-angulation. Give the middle something that they will like. You can't continue to run a trillion dollar deficit every year.

However, I agree with the aide in the story from the Hill. There will be some extra yet-to-be announced plan that is designed to create jobs that will no doubt spend a bunch of money.

It's the military/defense budget that needs cutting.

He's a Republican. Expect the official change of parties before 2012.

$250 billion over 10 years = $25 billion a year

$25 billion is about two percent of the projected 2010 deficit.

What a transparent, cynical, joke.

I think you also need to consider the longer range impact of this. If we freeze social spending and we don't freeze but increase military spending we continue to accelerate the distortion of our priorities. We know when Republicans get back in power they will cut social spending and increase military spending. The priorities just get more and more out of line. You can't make up for this over time. How do you ever make up what you lose when Democrats and Republicans alike cut human services and increase war spending?

I mean who are we kidding here? We are in the middle of a depression. Do you really believe that in a time like this there is any "discretionary" spending left in human services? You think they have more money than they need to help people in need? With unemployment stuck in double digits as far as the eye can see - a freeze in human services? That's what we voted for? Really? To freeze human services in a depression? That's what progressives do? That's what the party of FDR does? Really? That's what we stand for?

Now that the financial industry, the military-mercenary complex and almost the health insurance industry are paid off, Obama can 'freeze' spending. Note: None of the 'freezing' inhibited the bailout of entire profligate corporations.

Here are the decisions made by the guy who wants to 'keep fighting for the middle class':

1. Decision - Ignore previous Republican crimes, misdemeanors and profligacy – tax cuts for the wealthy: Constituencies - Republican voters and Republican Senators and Representatives he hoped would become 'bi-partisan'.
2. Decision - Support a stingy stimulus that was half of what was needed and included one-thirds tax breaks, increasing the deficit and further reducing the stimulus to one-third of what was needed: Constituencies – Wealthy investors, special interests.

3. Decision - Kill the only option that would have slowed the cost of health care & led to universal coverage – $ 753 Billions : Constituencies - Health insurance and pharmacy industries.

4. Decision - Accelerate the Bush bailout, $ 4.3 Trillions in bailouts, guarantees and purchasing assets from the private sector at well above market value: Constituency - Financial industry and banks.

5. Decision - Escalate a meaningless and fruitless war, $600 Billions: Constituencies - military and corporate mercenaries.

6. Decision - Gut real financial reform and substitute finger wagging and silly taxes and fees, while banking fees continue up, lending freezes and credit tightens - $UNK Billions: Constituencies - financial industry and the wealthy.

7. Decision - Not help people with bankruptcy and mortgages remediation – accelerating middle class decline: Constituencies - financial industry, banks and wealthy.
and 

8. Decision - Fiddle around and not pass a jobs bill – accelerating middle class decline.

Now that the corporations are taken care of, it's time to pull out the old 'gotten balance the budget' talk. Obama and the Democrats have royally screwed the middle class and their fun just continues on. Truly they have played us all for fools.

Good God. Even if (as is almost certain) the accounting is finagled so the reality is not as bad as the rhetoric (but economically it can't help but be bad, think 1937), how fucking clueless to reinforce conservative frames this way.

Jesus. How hard is it to understand? The deficit results from 1) bloated MILITARY spending, 2) the Bush tax cuts (and I'll bet the Dems now can't resist the pressure to extend them), and 3) THE RECESSION, you fucking clueless White House nitwits!

I didn't leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me...

I can't believe some of the Henny Penny "sky is Falling" hysteria I have been reading.
I'll wait till I hear more about it before I draw conclusions.
maybe we should try to live within current budget for awhile. I think our current level of spending is pretty hefty.
the rest of us:individuals , states, etc, have all had to rein in our spending. I have never believed that we should just spend our way back to "the way it was" because 'the way it was" was deeply flawed. So I am open to alternatives. Even though I too want to see more spending in certain areas, I would rather they find ways to work within means otherwise ,it is just not sustainable.
I would also rather have a Democratic administration and congress preside over budget spending freeze than a Republican one. At least there is hope for some humanity in the process.

If Obama leads the way on budget restraint, it will be interesting to see how Republicans in legislature respond. those who have been screaming about too much spending will have to put up or shut up with their vote..i think it will flush out a lot of hypocrites as well as take some of the steam out of the current 'pseudo fiscal conservative/populist' storm from the right.

I'm not sure what scenario will follow,and yes it has been a bad, bad week, but I can't believe some of the instant overreaction .

People really need to take a deep breath. We don't know either a) what exactly is going to be frozen and b) what the bigger picture is here. At first blush, it doesn't appear like we're talking about a huge amount of money here. It also doesn't look like the plan has any chance of passage. So it's probably largely a political move. So what's the politics? I don't think any of us really know the answer to that. It could be that he's totally capitulating and will run as a proto-Republican. It also could mean that he senses that if he puts forth a proposal like this (which could put the GOP on the spot by forcing them to prove they're actually serious about the deficit), it will provide both him and many Democrats the necessary cover to enact HCR or a jobs bill or something else. Or it could be something completely different from both scenarios. My point is that if we react to every trial balloon or proposal in a speech or unattributed comment in an article, we'll all go insane. I'm going to take a wait-and-see approach on this. And I'm going to make another call to my reps and demand they pass HCR and soon.