Getting the budget right
December 13, 2007 | By Nathaniel Ward
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Rumors are swirling about a possible budget deal in Congress. And it’s high time: the federal government could shut down for lack of funds if Congressional leaders fail to pass the necessary spending bills or a temporary spending measure.
» Take our poll: Should Congress pass a budget bill even if it exceeds President Bush’s request?
But the deal may not be fiscally responsible.
Instead of adopting “the responsible approach of passing each spending bill individually,” argue Heritage Foundation experts, the liberal-controlled Congress “will cluster the 11 remaining bills into a single omnibus appropriations bill that would fund much of the federal government.” And this, they warn, could mean bloat and excessive spending.
To ensure members of Congress know how to craft a responsible spending bill, Heritage experts Nicola Moore, Stephen Keen and Brian Riedl sent them a paper outlining the following principles:
- Cap discretionary spending at the President’s proposed $932 billion level;
- Refrain from abusing the “emergency” loophole and other budget gimmicks to add spending without formally busting the budget;
- Keep the pledge to halve the number of pork-barrel projects;
- Exclude unrelated policy riders, like provisions to grant special favors to labor unions; and
- Give members of Congress time to actually read the omnibus bill, instead of racing to finish it before the Christmas break.
Unless Congress trims the fat from their spending plans, they conclude, “the omnibus bill will deserve the veto pen.”
Watch Clarence Thomas live on Monday
On Monday, Dec. 17, The Heritage Foundation, the Federalist Society and Chapman University are sponsoring an event with Supreme Court Justice Thomas in Orange, Calif., where he will speak on his bestselling new memoir, My Grandfather’s Son.
Watch his remarks live on MyHeritage.org on Monday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
A ‘super prime minister’ for Russia
It now appears that Russian President Vladimir Putin will retain substantial power even after he leaves office. Putin and several leading political parties have endorsed Dmitry Medvedev in March’s presidential elections—and Medvedev has already returned the favor by asking Putin to serve as his prime minister.
This development, Heritage’s Ariel Cohen explains, “confirms not only that Putin will play a pivotal role in Russian politics after he steps down but that he will remain the number one politician in Russia for years to come.” Cohen adds that “Putin is most likely to be a ‘super prime minister,’ with responsibilities over foreign, security, and defense policy.”
An alternative to big-government health care
Government’s role in health care is rapidly increasing. In fact, America is on a collision course with socialized medicine. By 2016, government will account for more than 48 percent of health care spending.
Nevertheless, the Left continues to push for an ever-greater government role in heath care. On Wednesday, President Bush once again vetoed a misconceived liberal-backed children’s health care proposal that would have further increased government intrusion into the industry.
Congressional conservatives would be wise to advance a children’s health care reform plan of their own. Fortunately, The Heritage Foundation has done the analysis and prepared a recommendation.
“The right policy for Congress is to expand access to private insurance for the uninsured through direct tax relief,” writes Heritage’s Greg D’Angelo. “Health care tax credits coupled with other state reforms would go a long way toward improving affordability and reducing the ranks of the uninsured.”
In other news
- A key inflation indicator increased by the largest amount in 34 years last month, led in large part by gasoline prices. So why is it that liberals in Congress are trying to make gasoline even more expensive with their energy bill? Find out how much gas would cost in your state under the proposed energy plan.
- Britain has signed on to a controversial European Union treaty that would effectively establish a constitution for Europe. Parliament would still need to debate the measure, and there are calls for a referendum. Earlier versions of the unwieldy constitution, under which Britain would surrender substantial sovereignty to international bureaucrats, failed to pass even on the Continent.
- America is “principally responsible” for blocking action on climate change, former Vice President Al Gore charged Thursday. But since the suggested action typically involves expanded government, oppressive economic controls and restrictions on individual freedom, standing up to the “international consensus” on this issue isn’t necessarily bad.
Coming up at Heritage
To attend these or any other events at Heritage please RSVP at Heritage’s website. Or you can view these events live online. All times are Eastern.
- On Friday, December 14 at 11:00 a.m., Heritage historian Lee Edwards reflects on the 1,000 Heritage lectures and their impact.
- On Monday, December 17 at noon, author Scott Carmichael will discuss his new book, True Believer: Inside the Investigation and Capture of Ana Montes, Cuba’s Master Spy.
- On Wednesday, December 19 at noon, John Bolton will relate insights from his experience as ambassador to the United Nations and discuss his new book, Surrender is Not an Option.
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation. Colin Gowan contributed to this report.
