On the one hand, the GOP wants to extend the Bush tax cuts indefinitely, at a cost of $4 trillion over the next 10 years. On the other hand they hint at — but ultimately shy away from — Medicare or Social Security cuts, the biggest chunk of domestic federal spending. Then on the third hand, they say they want to balance the budget.
As we’ve pointed out, the broad non-specific cuts they do propose would necessitate slashing federal spending on schools, cops, and medical research. But on PBS last night, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), a Young Gun leader, and rising star in the GOP, laid out some budget items.
“Anybody who rides a first class ticket on Amtrak…when you buy that sleeper car, the tax payer spends $364 subsidizing your ticket, so you can have your bed drawn down,” McCarthy said, proposing to save much less than one percent of the federal budget by skimping on high-end train service.
Additionally, the government could save a similarly tiny amount by cutting federal employee benefits. “Do you realize that people that represent a union and work for the federal government, they go out on their time to work for the union. The federal government pays for that union work. That’s another $120 million.”
And foreign aid. “Do you realize that we give economic aid— not humanitary [sic] aid— to countries that have $50 billion or more in debt they owe for us? Meaning that we’re borrowing 40 cents out of the dollar from china to give them the millions of dollars.
And child nutrition. “Why do you have 87 different programs for child nutrition?” McCarthy asked rhetorically. “Couldn’t you merge those together and get some savings.”
A hundred similar cuts wouldn’t come close to patching the hole Republicans want to punch in the budget by preserving President Bush’s high-income tax cuts. So it won’t work. This is all vaguely reminiscent of when Republicans mocked Obama for saying that a good energy plan would include incentives to make sure people check the air in their tires…except that Obama was correct.
On a somewhat related note, the RNC is for some reason circulating a study showing that the GOP tax cut plan is worse for poor people than the Democrats’ plan.
Brian Beutler
Brian Beutler is TPM's senior congressional reporter. Since 2009, he's led coverage of health care reform, Wall Street reform, taxes, the GOP budget, the government shutdown fight, and the debt limit fight. He can be reached at brian@talkingpointsmemo.com.
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