Republicans claim to be the party of fiscal responsibility. But, the House’s passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019 (H.R. 3877) seems to prove otherwise. Instead of negotiating a budget that funds the government with budgetary mechanisms to help reign in spending, like enforcing a real debt limit, 65 Republicans voted for the measure which allowed the Democrat controlled House to leave Washington for August recess. Now, the Senate is considering the legislation that adds nearly $2 trillion to the federal debt over the next 10 years.
Specifically, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019 is a two-year agreement that raises spending caps to $320 billion above those previously enacted and suspends the debt ceiling for two years, passing the next round of negations until after the 2020 election; convenient for members who no longer have to spend time negotiating budget deals instead of campaigning. The legislation also averts mandatory spending cuts stemming from the Budget Control Act of 2011 that would have gone into effect September 30, 2019. The $77.4 billion in offsets the deal does include are significantly below the White House’s requested $574 billion worth.
The Bipartisan Budget Act allows for $738 for defense spending, short of the President’s $750 billion request, and $632 billion for nondefense spending for fiscal year 2020. Both are boosts from this past fiscal year’s enacted levels. Lastly, the bill also includes an agreement to maintain traditional pro-life provisions in upcoming appropriations bills. This is a conservative win in an otherwise bad piece of legislation.
Upon passage on the House Floor, Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced an amendment to change the title of the agreement to “A bill to kick the can down the road, and for other purposes.” Although the amendment was defeated, it correctly describes the consequences that will result from Washington continuing to ignore the country’s increasing debt and its burden on tax-payers. The House and Senate need to work together to create legislation that balances the budget and help our economy to thrive.
Please call or email your Senators and ask them to oppose H.R. 3877.
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
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