November 5, 2010
The other day I mentioned that numerous groups have released spending cut proposals that will be useful for the GOP in figuring out where to cut spending. Another source for the new House Republican majority to utilize is a plan that was released in May by their own members in the conservative House Republican Study Committee.
A good indicator of how serious the House GOP leadership will be about cutting spending is whether it embraces the common sense cuts proposed by their fellow Republicans in this document. The proposed cuts include such items as community development, Amtrak, and corporate welfare subsidies. The plan also targets regulations for repeal, such as the Davis-Bacon Act, which makes federally-funded projects more costly.
One major disappointment is that the plan promises to “protect the military budget” and even supporting substantial increases. If Republicans want to have any chance of getting Democratic support for spending cuts, defense spending need to be on the table. And as my Cato colleagues consistently point out, downsizing the Pentagon can certainly be accomplished without affecting America’s security.
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