Republican Déjà Vu

The Republican Study Committee (RSC), “The Conservative Conscience of Congress,” is a congressional caucus with 189 members that was founded in 1973. According to the group’s website, the RSC

• exists to bring like-minded House members together to promote a strong, principled legislative agenda that will limit government, strengthen our national defense, boost America’s economy, preserve traditional values and balance our budget,
• provides the tools and research that members of Congress need to craft and advance policies that will benefit the American people, and
• provides a forum for like-minded members to join together to support common causes and challenge the status quo.

The RSC claims to believe the following about the proper role of government: Infant Salvation: A Hi... Laurence M. Vance Check Amazon for Pricing.

We believe that the appropriate role of a limited government is to protect liberty, opportunity, and security, and that it is the responsibility of this generation to preserve them for the next. We believe that more government is the problem, not the solution, for the toughest issues facing our nation.

So, where is this limited government that these Republicans have been talking about for over 50 years? Not only have Republicans been unable to limit the size and scope of the federal government, they have actively expanded both its size and scope.

Since 1995, the RSC has proposed an alternative federal budget. This year’s 115-page proposal is called “Restoring America’s Golden Age.”

According to Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX), the chair of the RSC’s Budget and Spending Task Force, “The RSC budget reins in Washington’s out-of-control spending and eliminates waste, fraud, and abuse across all levels of the federal government.” We have heard similar things from Republicans about their budgets for decades.

The RSC budget proposal, according to its introduction, “presents a comprehensive vision for Restoring America’s Golden Age rooted in pro-growth policies, fiscal responsibility, and limited government” that reflect “policies that reduce regulatory burdens, simplify the tax code, and empower free markets to deliver prosperity for working families across the nation.” The budget “charts a course back to constitutional principles and the free-market solutions that built the world’s most prosperous economy by balancing the federal budget in ten years.” So, yet another Republican plan to balance the budget in ten years. Why not a plan to balance the budget now, this year?

The budget “represents the collective wisdom of conservative lawmakers who understand that limited government, individual liberty, and free markets are not just abstract concepts but practical solutions to the challenges facing our nation.” The RSC “will continue to advance conservative policies that prioritize individual liberty, free markets, and constitutional government over the failed progressive ideology that has burdened taxpayers, divided Americans, and stifled economic growth.”

So, conservative Republicans profess to believe in limited government, constitutional government, individual liberty, and free markets. Do they really believe in them or are these things just a part of their conservative mantra that they recite to make people think that they do?

I have read the RSC budget proposal so you don’t have to.

The proposal is organized under 6 headings:

• Promoting Economic Growth
• National Security
• Empowerment Through Self-Sufficiency
• Protecting Seniors
• Conservative Values
• Discretionary Funding

Just a brief look at what Republicans say about 6 of the pillars of the welfare state shows that they are not committed at all to limited government, constitutional government, individual liberty, and free markets.

Medicaid

“Medicaid is a joint federal-state program, enacted in 1965, to finance the delivery of care to vulnerable Americans, including low-income pregnant mothers, foster youth, and disabled individuals. Medicaid is a means-tested program limited to individuals in significant financial need, as determined by income and asset evaluation.” The War on Drugs Is a ... Laurence M. Vance Best Price: $5.87 Buy New $5.95 (as of 09:10 UTC - Details)

Okay, since Medicaid is clearly unconstitutional, certainly the RSC budget proposes to eliminate or drastically cut it? Sorry. “Republicans are working to restore Medicaid to its fundamental purpose and put an end to distorted incentives that harm the vulnerable and hardworking Americans the program was intended to serve.” The RSC budget “ensures those most in need of health care services are once again the priority of the system.”

Food stamps

“The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly referred to as Food Stamps, was created to help low-income households cover the cost of food. SNAP provides monthly cash benefits to eligible, low-income households to support their food purchases.”

Okay, since food stamps are clearly unconstitutional, certainly the RSC budget proposes to eliminate or drastically cut them? Sorry. The RSC budget rescinds “the Biden Administration’s reckless expansion of SNAP and ending provisions abused by states which allow waste, fraud, and abuse in the program to run rampant.” It “calls for continued action to ensure states have skin in the game to protect program integrity and benefits for the most vulnerable.”

Housing assistance

“The two largest federal housing programs, Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and Project-Based Rental Assistance, provide subsidies for tenants to pay rent and for construction of housing units.”

Okay, since housing assistance is clearly unconstitutional, certainly the RSC budget proposes to eliminate or drastically cut it? Sorry. The RSC budget “streamlines rental housing assistance programs within HUD that duplicate efforts of Section 8 tenant-based and project-based programs.”

Medicare

“Medicare is a federal program, established in 1965, to provide health insurance to individuals age 65 and older. The program has expanded over the years to also cover individuals with a disability, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In 1997, Republicans created Medicare Advantage through passage of the Balanced Budget Act. This groundbreaking program introduced managed care options into Medicare, giving seniors unprecedented choice in their health care coverage, and established a foundation for quality-based care delivery.”

“In 2003, Republicans led the passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA) which established Medicare Part D. MMA directly addressed the critical gap in prescription drug coverage for America’s seniors.”

Okay, since Medicare is clearly unconstitutional, certainly the RSC budget proposes to eliminate or drastically cut it? Sorry. The RSC budget “calls for Democrats to work with Republicans to protect Medicare for future generations.”

Social Security

“Social Security’s original purpose was to provide stability for those living past their working years through additional income support. However, since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act of 1935, the program’s size, scope, and costs have expanded tremendously. This includes the addition of disability benefits, dependent and survivor benefits, and the incorporation of automatic cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs).”

Okay, since Social Security is clearly unconstitutional, certainly the RSC budget proposes to eliminate or drastically cut it? Sorry. The RSC Budget “is committed to preserving Social Security.” It “does not raise the retirement age or reduce Social Security benefits. The RSC Budget focuses on rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in the Social Security system and enacting pro-growth economic policies.” War, Christianity, and... Laurence M. Vance Best Price: $8.95 Buy New $9.95 (as of 09:10 UTC - Details)

Farm subsidies

“The purpose of federal farm support programs should be to provide a reliable safety net that helps these innovative producers weather unexpected disasters, severe market disruptions, or other circumstances beyond their control.”

Okay, since farm subsidies are clearly unconstitutional, certainly the RSC budget proposes to eliminate or drastically cut them? Sorry. The RSC budget “honors both farmers’ capabilities and taxpayers’ investment, ensuring agriculture programs provide meaningful help when truly needed while empowering farmers to feed America and the world through innovative, market-driven agriculture.”

Does the RSC budget eliminate funding for any federal programs? It certainly does. It eliminates funding for many things. Here are 10 examples:

1. Intercity Rail Partnership
2. Interagency Council on Homelessness
3. Transit Formula Grants
4. Thriving Communities Initiative
5. RAISE Grants
6. New Starts Transit Program
7. Green and Resilient Retrofit Program
8. Electric or Low-Emitting Ferry Pilot Program
9. African Development Bank
10. Asian Development Bank

Most Americans have never heard of any of these federal programs. And no wonder. The cost of these programs is so miniscule that eliminating them hardly makes a dent in the federal government’s $7 trillion budget. The six pillars of the welfare state are largely untouched.

When it comes to Republican plans to cut spending and balance the budget, it’s déjà vu all over again.

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