Sunday, April 30, 2023

On the record; fodder for attack ads in 2024 House campaigns

 All but four GOP House members voted for their version of debt limit legislation they are sending to the Senate. The four, including Ken Buck of Colorado, claimed the legislation did not go far enough to reduce spending or the deficit.  I could not find evidence of what they would cut further, but in any case, the GOP's very slim majority in the House in the House is in jeopardy, and this bill they just approved could provide fodder for attack ads by Democratic opponents in 2024. 

The general message is that there are more things important than the needs of veterans, feeding the poor, reducing the debt burden of students who had to borrow money to pay tuition, and funding federal law enforcement and the justice system. Those items are facing a significant reduction in spending from current levels in the hidden implications of the board discretionary spending cut plan that was part of Kenvin McCarthy's plan.

. It is clear where the GOP stands, and it is not for law and order, regardless of their decrying an increase in crime.  They are not putting their money where their mouth is.   What was more important to the GOP caucus was keeping the tax burden on the rich and crippling the IRS' ability to collect taxes legitimately owed..  Damn, the environment; stop giving credit to alternative energy like wind, solar, and battery power and the jobs they create in manufacturing, 

 Taking appropriations back to the level the GOP wants would cut 9% in discretionary spending compared to this year’s spending. Particularly dire in these spending cuts would be the ability to enforce federal laws from the TSA, food inspectors, border patrol, the justice system, and more, an estimated $10 billion cut.  Per one group following the impact of the cuts, The Third Way, "Based on letters to the House Appropriations Committee from federal agencies and our own calculations to fill in the blanks, we lay out what these cuts would mean for federal safety programs, including law enforcement, the administration of justice, public health, and other forms of public safety.4,,,, The Republican budget’s effect on sworn law enforcement could result in the loss of 28,500 officers that are employed by the federal government. These devastating budget cuts would gut up to $10 billion from federal law enforcement funding."  The Republican Debt Limit Plan Will Devastate Public Safety – Third Way

Whatever their reasons, the House members' votes and their priorities are on the record, and voters can hold them individually accountable in 2024, even if their platform is DOA on arrival in the Senate and White House. Their constituents will know where they stood in 2023 in black and white print in the Congressional Record.  As the old saying goes, all politics are local, and in swing districts, where GOP incumbents are already in jeopardy with unpopular positions on abortion and gun safety, opposition research on a district-by-district basis should give Democrats ammo in crafting negative advertising.  

These four House Republicans voted against the GOP debt limit bill | The Hill

What's in the GOP bill to lift debt limit, cut spending | AP News

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