FreedomTalks

After not being able to get enough votes to pass the modest spending restraint Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 last week, the Republican majority pushed it through last night with a narrow 217-215 margin. Joining 200 Democrats and one independent in voting against the bill were the following 14 Republicans:

Gerlach, J. (PA-06)
Johnson, N. (CT-05)
Johnson, T. (IL-15)
Jones (NC-03)
Leach (IA-02)
McHugh (NY-23)
Ney, B. (OH-18)
Paul, R. (TX-14)
Ramstad (MN-03)
Shays, C. (CT-04)
Simmons, R. (CT-02)
Smith, C. (NJ-04)
Sweeney, J. (NY-20)
Wilson, H. (NM-01)

The so-called draconian spending cuts these Republicans voted against were put in perspective by the Wall Street Journal ($) on Nov. 16th:

“…the GOP plan reduces the increase in the federal budget by a microscopic 0.25% over the next five years. The new prescription drug bill by itself adds some $300 billion to the budget over this same five years, or six times what this “deficit reduction” bill would save. …For the past five years federal spending on anti-poverty programs has increased by 41%. Medicaid…is scheduled to grow by 7.9% a year, and under the GOP plan it would grow by 7.5% a year. Either way the program expands by more than double the rate of inflation through 2011.”

This entry was posted on Friday, November 18th, 2005 at 10:32 am and is filed under U.S. Budget. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.