During the election, Republican leaders pledged to cut $100 billion out of federal spending for fiscal year 2011, but caucus conservatives are calling for much deeper cuts. The 176-member Republican Study Committee (RSC) – up from 115 in the last Congress – on Thursday introduced a Spending Reduction Act that proposes cutting $2.5 trillion over the next 10 years, shifting spending back to fiscal 2006 levels.
This includes cutting the nondefense federal workforce by 15 percent, freezing federal pay increases for five years, and cutting federal travel in half ($7.5 billion savings). Programs to be hit include Amtrak ($1.56 billion less annually), the Community Development Fund ($4.5 billion a year less), National Endowment for the Arts ($167.5 million), high-speed rail ($2.5 billion), US Agency for International Development ($1.39 billion), and economic aid to Egypt ($250 million).
“The job of the RSC is to make sure that Republicans act like Republicans,” said its chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan (R) of Ohio.
While not endorsing the RSC proposal, Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin says he welcomes the debate. “The spending spree is over,” he said in a statement. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D) of Maryland, the top Democrat on the budget panel, dubbed the RSC proposal “reckless in terms of its impact on the economy and jobs.”
