OVERNIGHT MONEY: The administration strikes back

[babylonsister]

OVERNIGHT MONEY: The administration strikes back
By Bernie Becker, Erik Wasson, Peter Schroeder and Vicki Needham - 03/02/11 07:23 PM ET

Thursday’s Big Story:


Remember that fiscal 2011 spending bill the House passed some days back? It’s safe to say the Obama administration isn’t a fan.

In fact, officials from up and down the administration fanned out on Wednesday to blast the House measure that cuts billions and billions of dollars in spending over the last seven months of this fiscal year.

For instance, Janet Napolitano, the Homeland Security secretary, told a group of Senate appropriators that the bill would impede her department’s progress in a host of areas — including airport safety, where Napolitano said House cuts would lead to possibly significant increases in wait times for passengers.

“It cuts funding to sustain the progress that has been made in enforcing the nation’s immigration laws,” Napolitano said of the House measure. “It cuts critical cybersecurity tools and operations. It cuts intelligence personnel. It cuts Coast Guard funding to support our war efforts abroad. And it cuts grants that support counterterrorism and disaster response capabilities.”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates also joined the chorus, with Clinton saying cuts in her area “would be devastating to our national security.”

more...

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/147171-overnight-money-the-administration-strikes-back

[DCKit]

1. I'd feel more generous if I didn't believe each of these individuals only concern...

was with growing the size and influence of their respective agencies.

To wit: The State Department has grown dramatically in size by employing more contractors than ever before in history and Fatherland Security has been an ungainly, overreaching behemoth from day one - and also growing. It's the Republicon trick of saying they're downsizing government... by hiring outside contractors. Then we find out it costs 5x more than hiring government employees.

Additionally, if Arne Duncan gets more dollars for Education, he'll just spend them promoting the privatization of more districts at the expense of students and teachers. Has anyone asked administrators to take a pay cut, or simply cutting the admin. staffing? Too many in admin. are receiving six-figure salaries - and there are too many of them. Too many chiefs, and all that.

[JoeyT]

2. Meh.

For instance, Janet Napolitano, the Homeland Security secretary, told a group of Senate appropriators that the bill would impede her department’s progress in a host of areas — including airport safety, where Napolitano said House cuts would lead to possibly significant increases in wait times for passengers.

We need money for peepshow machines! How the hell can we get people used to a police state where privacy is considered a quaint and silly idea if we don't have funding!? We certainly don't want to make people wait in a line for their involuntary fondling.

It cuts critical cybersecurity tools and operations.

How can we tap phones and read emails without warrants if we have no money?!

It cuts Coast Guard funding to support our war efforts abroad.

Dear god won't someone think of the poor drug war!?

with Clinton saying cuts in her area “would be devastating to our national security."

Spying on the UN is expensive. She has a point.

The bill sucked, but they aren't making very good cases for opposing it.