Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell backed out of Trump’s plan to cut $60 Billion in spending.
Yesterday on Fox News, McConnell confirmed my skepticism by announcing the Senate would not bring a rescissions package to a floor vote.
“You can’t make an agreement one month and say, ‘OK, we really didn’t mean it,’†McConnell told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto in an exclusive interview. He reminded Cavuto that President Trump agreed to the spending deal McConnell forged with Democrats.
“He agreed to it. He was involved in the negotiation and signed the bill,†McConnell said. “We had a deal with the Democrats.â€
Here’s what’s wrong with this — aside from the fact that McConnell is whiffing on a chance to cut as much as $60 billion in spending. The argument leadership made to conservatives about the omnibus spending bill and why Republicans had to vote for it dealt with the 60-vote threshold. Without 60 votes in the Senate, conservatives are constantly told, McConnell’s Republicans just can’t override a Democrat filibuster. Leadership argued the military badly needed these spending increases and that we couldn’t risk the Democrats shutting down the government and holding the military hostage by insisting on cuts to non-defense spending. So that’s why Republicans were “forced†to swallow a $1.3 trillion increase in spending.
Well, this argument doesn’t apply to a rescissions package. The money for the military has already been appropriated, so a $60 billion spending cut to non-defense spending doesn’t affect the troops, obviously. Further, these spending cuts would be brought up using a “privileged resolution†in the Senate, permitting Republicans to pass the cuts with a simple majority, the 51 votes they do have. That’s why President Trump’s White House and House Republicans were ready to move forward with this plan.
Although I can’t stand the spending bill or Mitch McConnell I do understand his point here. The spending bill was passed and it is the Republicans fault it was so bad. Going in and changing an agreement after a deal was made is something that Republicans would freak out about. The bottom line is that the Republicans should have passed a better deal and because the American Tax Payers are going to pay for it.
