Republican 'Pledge' Would Slash Spending For Education, Cancer Research, Police & Firefighters

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Republican 'Pledge' Would Slash Spending For Education, Cancer Research, Police & Firefighters



http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-01/republican-pledge-on-spending-freeze-would-slash-budget-by-100-billion.html

U.S. House Republicans’ pledge to cut $100 billion from the federal budget next year would slash spending for education, cancer research and aid to local police and firefighters.

Keeping the midterm-campaign promise would require a Republican-led Congress to cut 21 percent of the $477 billion lawmakers have earmarked for domestic discretionary spending.

“That’s where you get the savings,” said Representative Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican who would likely be chairman of the Budget Committee if his party regained its majority in the Nov. 2 elections.

A cut of that magnitude would necessitate major reductions in spending likely to spur protests across many fronts, and Republican leaders have refused to specify any major targets before Election Day. Most of the proposals Republicans have offered so far provide minimal savings, like shaving $2 billion from the budget by capping federal salaries next year.

Still, Republicans argue that spending cuts trump tax increases as the best way to start balancing the budget in the wake of the worst recession since the Great Depression.