Republicans Continue to Oppose Cost Cutting Amendments

Yesterday, we showed a list of cost cutting amendments that several dozen GOP members opposed and helped Democrats defeat.  Here are some more:

Amendment No. 410—Rep. Price (R-GA):  The amendment would eliminate funding for the “National Labor Relations Board, Salaries and Expenses,” and would transfer $233,400,000 to the Spending Reduction Account.  Funds transferred into the spending reduction account are designated as savings and lower the 302(b) allocation for a given subcommittee.  Funds transferred into the spending reduction account cannot be allocated elsewhere in the bill.

The amendment failed 176-250 with the help of 60 Republicans.  This would have been an easy $200 million in savings.  I can't fathom any Republican opposing this amendment.

• Amendment No. 457—Rep. Flake (R-FL):  The amendment would reduce funding for the “Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children and Families Services Programs,” by $100,000,000, bringing the appropriation from $7,796,499,000 to $7,696,499,000.  The amendment would transfer $100,000,000 to the Spending Reduction Account.  Funds transferred into the spending reduction account are designated as savings and lower the 302(b) allocation for a given subcommittee.  Funds transferred into the spending reduction account cannot be allocated elsewhere in the bill.

124 Republicans, more than half the caucus, helped defeat this.  I can't understand why.

• Amendment No. 565—Rep. Bass (R-NH):  The amendment would reduce the amount of funding available to the Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services by $98,000,000 and increase funding to Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Low Income Home Energy Assistance by $50,000,000.

It seems that nobody desired to mess with an agency with such an auspicious title.

• Amendment No. 85—Rep. Pompeo (R-KS):  The amendment would reduce the level of funding for the Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, State and Private forestry by $7.4 million and increase the funding to the spending reduction account by $7.4 million.  Funds transferred into the spending reduction account are designated as savings and lower the 302(b) allocation for a given subcommittee.  Funds transferred into the spending reduction account cannot be allocated elsewhere in the bill.

70 Republicans helped defeat this minuscule cut.

• Amendment No. 43—Rep. Sessions (R-TX):  The amendment reduces funding for the “Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Capital and Debt Service Grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation” from $850 million to $403.1 million and transfers the savings into the Spending Reduction Account.  Funds transferred into the spending reduction account are designated as savings and lower the 302(b) allocation for a given subcommittee.  Funds transferred into the spending reduction account cannot be allocated elsewhere in the bill.

60 Republicans opposes the $450 million in savings.  I guess we know who would be opened to supporting Obama's high speed rail boondoggle.