Capitol Hill sources have advised this reporter that Paul Ryan-led Republicans included the cut in career military pensions (reported yesterday) in their own Ryan-Murray budget negotiations-proposal and that Maryland Democrat Rep. Chris Van Hollen offered to replace them (the ONLY CUTS in the budget proposal) with savings in farm subsidies.
Recent reports confirm that Rep. Van Hollen had also offered the same deal on farm subsidies in exchange for a three-month extension in unemployment benefits late last year as well as currently; but that when the GOP balked at addressing extended-UI in 2013, the Maryland Democrat, upon seeing the military pension cuts that Republicans inserted in Ryan-Murray budget negotiations, offered up the farm bill cuts to offset them.
Yet, despite Republican Party rhetoric asserting opposition to such subsidies in principle, the GOP leadership chose to make the military pension cuts the only ones in a budget whose main purpose was to prevent another government shutdown. Rep. Ryan (R-WI) admitted as much Monday’s Hugh Hewitt talk radio show, in which a veteran caller referred to “limited liability patriotism” as responsible for the lack of appreciation of the sacrifices being made by volunteers for service in the armed forces.
Yesterday, the House passed the budget:
A $1.1 trillion compromise spending bill that funds the government through September won approval Wednesday from the Republican-led U.S. House and now goes to the Senate for consideration.
The appropriations measure, approved 359-to-67, would roll back some past spending cuts, raise federal worker pay and touch the everyday life of all Americans. Compromise on the fiscal year 2014 spending bill is a break from years of congressional funding fights that included a government shutdown last October. The Senate is expected to also pass the so-called “omnibus” bill and send it to President Barack Obama to be signed into law.
Ryan vows to restore the cuts in career military pensions before they take effect; but why they were the only cuts in their own proposal and why they wouldn’t accept the corporate welfare that are farm subsidies furthers the belief that too many in the GOP prefer Big Government almost as much as most Democrats.
Tea partiers seem to be the only hope for true conservatives and it appears their are no more than 67 in the House.
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson
