New in PJ Media:
When the House Republicans who initially refused to accept Kevin McCarthy as speaker finally agreed to do so back in January, they allegedly received assurances from him and his supporters that McCarthy would genuinely oppose Democrat initiatives, not just go along with them as a controlled opposition. And that seems to be the case with the new debt ceiling deal, as Biden’s handlers appear to have made some significant concessions to McCarthy. However, it would be premature to think that the worst days of the uniparty are behind us. McCarthy has just given us a disquieting indication that he isn’t completely the reformed RINO he has seemed to be of late.
On Sunday, McCarthy declared confidently on FOX News Sunday that his deal with the devil — er, that is, with Old Joe Biden — was a “step in the right direction” for the GOP. He asserted that “more than 95 percent of all those in the conference were very excited” about the deal, and gave some reasons why: “We finally were able to cut spending. We’re the first Congress to vote for cutting spending year over year. So, you cut that back, you fully fund the veterans, you fully fund defense, but you take that nondefense spending all the way back lower than ’22 levels.” That does sound swell indeed, and McCarthy wasn’t finished.
The man who will go down in history as the successor of Nancy Pelosi then boasted about how his tough negotiating tactics had forced the Democrats to make concessions, particularly on new rules that some of those receiving government handouts had to do something for the money: “Now you get work requirements for TANF [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families] and SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program], where the Democrats said that was a red line.”
McCarthy even claimed to have made inroads into the government’s ever-expanding environmentalist initiatives: “Now you’re able to reform NEPA [National Environmental Policy Act]. How frustrating we are with — it’s been 40 years since you could streamline it.” Streamlined government is good, but less government altogether is better, and McCarthy wasn’t quite up to that point. He reeled off the acronyms of these programs, without bothering to explain what they were, like the seasoned Beltway insider that he undeniably is.
He did, however, promise an easing of at least some of the stultifying maze of regulations that have done so much to blunt American initiative in recent years. “To build a road in America,” he pointed out, “takes you seven years to review.” But he promised relief: “We limit that, where it’s focused, where you can only review it one to two years. We’re going to get America working again. We get the process working again.” He added: “We are — we always have these omnibuses at the end of the year, we now penalize Congress if they don’t get their jobs done.”
There is more. Read the rest here.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Gaetz, Boebert, Rosendale… were right: he should not have been elected Speaker. Republicans who think that growing the government less than Dems want are RINOs, not moderate Conservatives
Myron J. Poltroonian says
While I agree with their goals, I would suggest the, for lack of a better term, Conservative Caucus, not lose sight of reality; both the senate and the white house are not in republican control. (It has been wisely noted many that “Politics is the art of compromise”.) I would also suggest that they remember that the last time republican’s were the majority in both chambers and the executive branch they did exactly what the democrats did in the same circumstances – nothing to cement their goals into law. The reasons were painfully obvious; they didn’t have enough like-minded members within their majorities to enact the legislation necessary to enshrine into law their goals. Instead they relied on Presidential Executive Orders which, as has been all too painfully obvious, are easily expunged by the succeeding chief executive.
All of which brings me to this: “Get it while you can”as Janis sang); concentrate on keeping the house, retaking control of the senate and the executive branch while getting more like-minded republicans elected in both houses. Then, if and/or when they’ve done that don’t stop legislating by patting themselves on the back and (fatally) relying once again on conservative-friendly executive orders. Only then will they be able to reduce the bloat of what congress has incrementally created: The Administrative State. (“The government that governs least, governs best.” is, I believe, the goal.)
Joe1 says
The budget still has too much spending, and it will increase inflationary pressure. Another rate hike in June or July is likely.
kuhnkat@yahoo.com says
Paraphrased:
We let the cancer grow at a slower rate.