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Boehner

Vote on Stimulus Bill Expected on Monday

February 7, 2009 · 5 comments

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has indicated that the newly “trimmed” stimulus package will go to a vote in the Senate on Monday. The bill now costs approximately $827 billion.

You would have thought that the Senate had found the cure for cancer, as they congratulated each other for finally agreeing on something. They managed to cut nearly $100 billion in spending – a welcome step forward but it’s still a massive bill.

Not all of the Senators were pleased with the deal. Senator John Boehner (R-OH) commented, “Ultimately this bill should be judged on whether it works, and 90 percent of a bad idea is still a bad idea.”

What’s Boehner upset about? Spending. Here’s a brief look at some of the items cut or reduced in the bill:

  • $2 billion cut for energy-efficient federal buildings
  • $327 million cut for NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • $300 million cut for federal fleet of hybrid vehicles
  • $300 million cut for FBI construction
  • $200 million cut for Superfund
  • $100 million cut for Law enforcement wireless
  • $75 million cut for Smithsonian
  • All funds cut for historic preservation
  • All funds cut for new Coast Guard polar icebreaker/cutters
  • All funds cut for pandemic flu prevention

Cuts were also made in educational assistance and new school construction.

The self-congratulatory smugness was nearly too much to take. When did Congress suddenly decide that we should watch our spending? It’s like watching a college student who maxed her credit cards out at Ann Taylor suddenly start caring about how much the cable bill costs. Yes, I’m glad that Congress is finally starting to *get* that we don’t have an unlimited amount of money to spend, but the attitude exhibited by folks like Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) who have talked themselves up by deciding that cutting spending is some how a remarkable feat is offputting.

Note to Congress: As taxpayers, we *get* it already. What has taken you so long?

So with all of the grandstanding and pruning, what stays? That, they didn’t talk about so much. It’s all in broad terms: “job creation”, tax incentives for small businesses, a once again pathetic one year band aid on the AMT (alternative minimum tax) and some variation on so-called “tax relief” for low income and middle income families. We’ll know the details on Monday and you can find it right here at taxgirl.

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GOP Counters Democrats’ Proposed Second Stimulus Package

October 13, 2008 · 3 comments

Earlier today, the GOP indicated that they are not on board with the Democrats’ proposal for a second economic stimulus package. There’s no surprise there.

Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), the top ranking Republican in the House, wrote a letter to Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) calling the proposal:

an irresponsible, business-as-usual approach that has earned this Congress the lowest approval ratings ever recorded.

Harsh. But here’s my take: the proposal, as currently being touted, is, in fact, irresponsible. And I sincerely hope that Pelosi takes that to heart.

That said, the idea that Boehner is trying to pin the current low approval ratings on the Democrats is laughable: everyone had a hand in this nonsense.

Handing out small checks and increasing Medicaid programs will not stimulate the economy. If that’s the purpose of this package – and you’d think so, since they’re calling it an economic stimulus package – then the Democrats are way off base. And despite the fact that Pelosi says her package will “provide relief for the middle class, to encourage consumer confidence and to have regulatory reform by re-writing the rules for financial institutions,” there’s no real relief proposed for the middle class.

What does the GOP propose instead? The usual suspects. Some of the ideas floated by the GOP are:

1, Allowing offshore oil drilling.
2, Cutting taxes for US corporations with foreign subsidiaries;
3, Expanding capital gains relief on the sale of homes; and
4, Eliminating capital gains on stock purchases for the next two years.

Jeez. Can’t either party get this right?

Middle class. Two words. Don’t forget about them.

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