The budget deal that passed the House and heads to the Senate, the Ryan-Murray compromise, ends provisions in the Budget Control Act of August 2011, a.k.a. “the sequestration deal.” Provisions of that agreement marginally limited spending increases in discretionary programs. So called entitlement programs were not affected nor would defense spending be in time of another war. There were no actual cuts as part of the sequestration being triggered, only reductions in the growth rate of discretionary programs. The sequestration provisions were triggered because, it cannot be repeated enough, the Democrat controlled Senate refused to pass a budget in 2011.
Arguably during this most recent budget replay, the Republican majority in the House had an opportunity to leverage concessions on Obamacare “delaying” implementation across the board, especially given the extreme problems that have been revealed and ample public support for doing so. Doing Such would hopefully have stopped the inculcation of nationalized healthcare into the fabric of society. It did not happen. What did happen many influential conservatives are calling pathetic. Here is what some are saying:
From Michael Hammond at RedState:
10 Reasons to Vote Against the Murray-Ryan Giant Spending and Deficit Increase. Each point is fleshed out in the article. We have only provided the main points and, for a few, a summary of key points in support.
(1) IT INCREASES SPENDING BY OVER $50 BILLION DOLLARS.
(2) IT INCREASES THE DEFICIT BY OVER $45 BILLION.
(3) IT RAISES TAXES IN ORDER TO RAISE SPENDING.
Ed. Note: Without getting into the merits of tax vs fee, the important point to know is that the “fee” increases collected are not required to be used for the activity they are collected from. Which kind of collapses the argument for it being a user fee.
(4) THE INCREASED SPENDING WILL BE SPENT ON DEMOCRATIC PRIORITIES WHICH WILL EXPLODE IN OUT-YEARS.
(5) THE MURRAY-RYAN BUDGET PURPORTS TO BE “FRUGAL” ONLY BECA– — USE OF “OBAMACARE-STYLE ACCOUNTING.”
(6) A VOTE FOR THE MURRAY-RYAN BUDGET IS A VOTE TO FUND OBAMACARE, NO MATTER WHAT. PERIOD.
the only real “accomplishment” of this deal is to make it impossible for the GOP to use the power of the purse to achieve policy changes. . . . But the task will be made “more impossible” by the fact that (the agreement will) repeal the medical device tax and . . . redefine the 30-hour “full time employee” definition. Thus, . . . taking political pressure off . . . And Obama can tweak the employer mandate, just as opposition to ObamaCare is reaching a critical mass.
(7) THE MURRAY-RYAN BUDGET WOULD REMOVE A POINT OF ORDER WHICH HAS BEEN — — USED TO OBJECT TO NEW SPENDING. PERIOD.
According to Budget Committee ranking Republican Jeff Sessions: “…this bill clearly and unequivocally undermines the ability of the Senate to maintain agreed-upon statutory spending limits. It legitimizes tax and spend.”
(8) FOR FOREIGN POLICY HAWKS, THE BILL WOULD SLASH MILITARY COLAS. PERIOD.
(9) THE MURRAY-RYAN BUDGET WILL CHANGE THE NATIONAL DISCUSSION — TO IMMIGRATION REFORM, MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES, AND GUN CONTROL.
Some have this delusional notion that, once the deficit and spending are “off the table,” the press will resume attacking Obama over ObamaCare.
Have they even read the newspapers recently?
The press has reverted to its role of “ObamaCare promoter” . . . the only synergistic impact of passing Murray-Ryan will be to renew impetus for immigration amnesty. Incidentally, the amnesty bills on the table would create a net 8,000,000 Democratic voters, and Republicans could give up the notion of ever winning the White House again.
(10) HARRY REID JUST DESTROYED THE SENATE AS AN INSTITUTION, AND SHOULD NOT BE REWARDED FOR HIS FRAUD.
Jim DeMint writing at Heritage.org
Make no mistake: Compromise in Washington is used to increase spending, grow the federal government and expand its power.
The big new budget deal was prompted by political pressure to eliminate spending cuts instituted by the sequestration deal to slow the growth of our massive, destructive, and unsustainable debt. Despite its poor design and unwise cuts to our military, it is the first real commitment by Congress in a long time to slow the growth of government over a 10-year budget window. Don’t be fooled. Sequestration does not cut spending. Instead of federal spending increasing 74 percent over the next 10 years, the sequester would hold spending increases to 69 percent! And some people call that Draconian?
The entire informative letter and more links to Heritage articles referencing the matter are available here.
GrasstopsUSA opposes the Ryan-Murray deal in an e-mail alert (summary below):
And we can only observe that it’s amazing how quickly Boehner can twist arms and “get things done” in Washington when he sets his mind to it. Ryan announced this raw deal on Tuesday and it only took Boehner a matter of hours to railroad it through the House . . .
Do the political elites in Washington honestly believe that you’re stupid enough… yet again… to buy the ridiculous concept that funding ObamaCare now is a legitimate strategy for stopping ObamaCare later?
Don’t be deceived, this deal not only funds ObamaCare, it takes leverage to defund it off the table.
Erick Erickson with RedState.com observed: “Republicans have made it abundantly clear to the Democrats that ObamaCare will never be part of the budget negotiations ever again.”
Seriously, if Republicans in Congress have taken defunding ObamaCare off the table, then exactly how do they propose to get rid of it?
Their answer: win elections: In defending this “Ryan-Murray raw deal” on the House floor, Ryan said: “Elections have consequences. To really do what we want, we’re going to have to win elections.”
But wait just a minute… didn’t they promise us in 2010 that if the American people put a Republican majority in the House of Representatives, they’d defund ObamaCare? What happened to that promise?
Reminder to Americans losing their health insurance: the Democrat Party shut down the gov’t to make sure this would happen to you.
Grasstops USA encourages conservatives to take advantage of their Blast Fax program to call on all Senate Republicans to reject the Ryan-Murray “deal.”
FreedomWorks says The Deal is NO DEAL ,also referring to it as a betrayal:
No Deal Without Real Spending Cuts
Here’s the truth: the current sequester spending caps were a bi-partisan budget “deal.” And they were the only spending constraints Republicans achieved under Obama’s presidency. Now the GOP Establishment wants to remove some of these reforms to spend more money today.
On a related track FreedomWorks also has useful commentary as to why stopping Obamacare is a winning issue (including, by implication, doing what can be done in every step of the budget process) :
Democrats can’t keep avoiding the truth: the law they forced on our country is hurting millions of Americans. Obama and Harry Reid lied to pass the health care takeover. They granted exemptions to their cronies in big business, unions, and even Congress. But they’re leaving normal Americans to suffer under ObamaCare.
FreedomWorks has provided a very easy to use cost free messaging page to contact your U.S. Senators. Access is available here.
R Mall
Yeah it’s a bad deal, but the establishment Republicans know best on this. They hesitantly went along with the shutdown and there is no question the Lib media led the charge to get the public to blame Republicans for it (as seen in every poll).
Now that they have recovered and are soaring in the polls because of the Obummercare gift that keeps on giving they don’t want to screw it up. Which is exactly what would happen. The Obummer worshippers are desperate to change the subject from this train wreck. Just ask Megyn Kelly about that after saying Santa was a white man.