The House is going to consider a bill this week that combined the appropriations bill for the Defense and Veterans' Affairs Departments with a Continuing Resolution to cover expenditures for the rest of the federal government during this fiscal year. The total spending in the bill is for the amount that was to be spent after the sequester was put in place. From some of the articles in the press, one would think that this move in the House is some sort of evil plan. The attitude seems to be "How dare they fund the government without restoring the sequestered amounts?"
Let's consider what is happening. In normal times (that's about 218 years prior to president Obama), Congress passes appropriations bills for each Department each year. These bills set the spending levels and apportion that spending among specific projects and programs. This process used to be called the "power of the purse". Starting with the Obama years, the senate has refused to engage in the normal budgeting process, thereby turning everything into a crisis and forcing the government to exist on continuing resolutions which merely set the overall funding levels but which do not allow for review in Congress of specific programs or projects. So what is the House doing now? For Defense and Veterans' Affairs, there is a basic agreement on the spending for the year, so the House is putting those amounts into a regular appropriations bill. For those who have forgotten this procedure, it is called "Congress doing its job". The effect of a Defense Appropriations bill will be to allow the Defense Department much more flexibility to shift spending without changing the total. In other words, this bill will let DOD handle the sequester in ways that make the most sense for our national defense. For the other Departments, there is not yet any agreement on spending, so the House is passing a continuing resolution so the government will not shut down.
What we are seeing is the result of the House proceeding with its work in the way it is supposed to. No wonder so many in the press are upset. There won't be any crisis here unless the Democrats in the Senate insist on there being one. Of course, if the Democrats do this, they will force a government shut down. No wonder the press is upset. Oh, the Horror of it all!!!!
Let's consider what is happening. In normal times (that's about 218 years prior to president Obama), Congress passes appropriations bills for each Department each year. These bills set the spending levels and apportion that spending among specific projects and programs. This process used to be called the "power of the purse". Starting with the Obama years, the senate has refused to engage in the normal budgeting process, thereby turning everything into a crisis and forcing the government to exist on continuing resolutions which merely set the overall funding levels but which do not allow for review in Congress of specific programs or projects. So what is the House doing now? For Defense and Veterans' Affairs, there is a basic agreement on the spending for the year, so the House is putting those amounts into a regular appropriations bill. For those who have forgotten this procedure, it is called "Congress doing its job". The effect of a Defense Appropriations bill will be to allow the Defense Department much more flexibility to shift spending without changing the total. In other words, this bill will let DOD handle the sequester in ways that make the most sense for our national defense. For the other Departments, there is not yet any agreement on spending, so the House is passing a continuing resolution so the government will not shut down.
What we are seeing is the result of the House proceeding with its work in the way it is supposed to. No wonder so many in the press are upset. There won't be any crisis here unless the Democrats in the Senate insist on there being one. Of course, if the Democrats do this, they will force a government shut down. No wonder the press is upset. Oh, the Horror of it all!!!!
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