House passes bill undoing defense cuts

[Roland99]

Source: CNN

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would replace looming Pentagon spending cuts opposed by the GOP with a series of domestic program reductions opposed by congressional Democrats.

The bill passed in a strongly polarized 218-199 vote. No Democrats supported the measure.

While the legislation has no chance of clearing the Democratic-controlled Senate or surviving a certain presidential veto, it helps set the stage for a campaign showdown over fiscal priorities. It also offers a partial preview of what is shaping up to be a titanic year-end fight over deficit reduction measures set to take effect in 2013.

Specifically, the GOP plan would replace the bulk of a package of roughly $110 billion in defense and domestic cuts currently slated for next year. The Republican proposal would, among other things, cut Medicaid and food stamp spending, reduce spending for President Barack Obama's health care reform law, strip regulators of the ability to wind down failing financial firms, and end a White House program meant to help struggling homeowners.

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/10/politics/house-budget-vote/index.html

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A leopard can't change its spots.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Man, I wish I lived in a country where each of those budget cuts

would be 'bulleted' in large print on the front page of every paper and it would be repeated over and over by every talking head on TV. Maybe then the sheep would be able to figure out who to vote for in November.

[atreides1]

2. Republicans are evil fucks

Last edited Thu May 10, 2012, 04:43 PM - Edit history (1)

These people are the most vile and inhumane group on the planet...granted they don't cut off people's heads or force children to kill their parents, but what they plan to do with this bill is to starve the poor, to include children, deny them health care, and let their corporate masters get away with murder...the only difference between a Republican and the Taliban...wait there really isn't any difference, is there?

[bubbalubagus]

11. eeyup. nt

[Swede Atlanta]

28. Please don't give them any ideas............

[leftyohiolib]

3. well good maybe now potus will learn you cant work with them

lying infantile pisants. they are a nation security threat

[AnotherMcIntosh]

4. "While the legislation has no chance of clearing the Democratic-controlled Senate or surviving

a certain presidential veto ..."

Yea, well good luck with that one.

[Angry Dragon]

5. republicans would rather kill than help

[raouldukelives]

6. Typical un-Christian acts as usual from the assholes.

Money used to ease suffering and provide health care is Satanist socialism.
Money used to kill people and cause massive suffering is Godly patriotism.

If Satan, a force of evil, whatever was a reality and working in this world would he be spending his time making poor goat farmers in the Middle East the instruments of his terror? Or would he more likely be working hand in hand with the masters of the universe and the lovers of military and the most lethal killing machines ever devised by the minds of mankind?

[Politicalboi]

7. Hey GOP

On Sept 10, 2001 Donald Rumsfailed announced the Pentagon had "misplaced" 2.3 Trillion dollars. Why don't these dumb fucks find that money for their worthless (can't defend the US budget). Money wasted on defense. The Pentagon can't even defend itself from a plane. Fuck them.

[Archae]

10. Most of those programs aren't even "defense."

Just look at the colossal failure of a "missile defense system."

[Archae]

8. I know the REAL reason the GOP won't cut "defense" companies.

Those companies have loaded up those GOP'ers with bribes.
I mean, campaign contributions.

Eisenhower would have been labeled a "socialist" and kicked out of today's GOP.

[polichick]

15. Definitely - Republicans are nothing but whores for those companies...

...among other corps. "The people" means nothing to them.

[xxqqqzme]

9. "...strip regulators of the ability

to wind down failing financial firms...'. Isn't that one of the jobs of the agency Elizabeth Warren was supposed to chair?

[flpoljunkie]

12. Ryan's Sequester Replacement bill barely passed--and 16 Republicans voted against it.

Members approved the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act in a party-line 218-99 vote. As expected, the bill was supported by nearly all Republicans — only 16 opposed it, and no Democrats supported it.

Republicans voting against the bill were Reps. Justin Amash (Mich.), Roscoe Bartlett (Md.), Charlie Bass (N.H.), John Duncan (Tenn.), Mike Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Chris Gibson (N.Y.), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.), Tim Johnson (Ill.), Walter Jones (N.C.), Raul Labrador (Idaho), Steve LaTourette (Ohio), Frank LoBiondo (N.J.), Todd Platts (Pa.), Ed Whitfield (Ky.) and Frank Wolf (Va.). GOP Rep. James Sensenbrenner (Wis.) voted present.

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/226703-house-votes-to-replace-pentagon-cuts-mandated-by-debt-deal

[atreides1]

27. I believe that Ryan has some pysch issues

And that he really hates the poor and especially the elderly...two groups that will be adversely affected by his budget. Not sure why he hates the poor, but I can guess that he hates the elderly because of how his young life was affected by a grandmother who suffered from Alzheimer's...and the time he was required to give up to help with her care.

[Iliyah]

13. Instead of creating jobs

these f**ks are passing bulls**t bills that WON'T pass the senate. The insane party of no have no morals.

[just1voice]

14. Yet every repuke chants "cut spending now" as if they give a sht

(R) = whore.

[RT Atlanta]

16. Absolutely unconscionable....

And, sadly, we "knew" those sorry fucks with rather screw their moms than cut military/industrial alliance expenditures.

WHERE OH WHERE is the Democratic spine to call the republican party out and publicly shame them (though, the republicans are not capable of shame) on this matter.

They truly hate the poor.

Our country has the most bloated military-related budget of any industrialized country in the fucking world.

How 'bout putting that $110 BILLION (that's NINE fucking zeros after the 110) toward schools, healthcare, infrastructure, debt forgiveness for underwater mortgages or any of the other myriad of issues facing normal citizens (other than, goddamnit my gay friend wants to marry their partner) Seriously, WTF?!?!

[azurnoir]

17. They 'restored' money to programs the Pentagon wanted to cut!

A US House panel has unveiled a $608 billion defense spending bill that restores some of the programs the Pentagon wanted to cut next year and provides nearly $1 billion for Israel's missile defense systems including the Iron Dome and Magic Wand.

The House Appropriations Committee released the bill on Monday that includes $519.2 billion for the fiscal 2013 base budget and $88.5 billion for Afghanistan and other counterterrorism activities. That's $1.1 billion more than the current level and $3.1 billion more than President Barack Obama requested

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4225996,00.html

moreover this should be of concern and possibly the reason so much was given to 'defense'

112th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 4133

AN ACT

To express the sense of Congress regarding the United States-Israel strategic relationship, to direct the President to submit to Congress reports on United States actions to enhance this relationship and to assist in the defense of Israel, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012’.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) Since 1948, United States Presidents and both houses of Congress, on a bipartisan basis and supported by the American people, have repeatedly reaffirmed the special bond between the United States and Israel, based on shared values and shared interests.

(2) The Middle East is undergoing rapid change, bringing with it hope for an expansion of democracy but also great challenges to the national security of the United States and our allies in the region, particularly our most important ally in the region, Israel. Over the past year, the Middle East has witnessed the fall of some regimes long considered to be stabilizing forces and a rise in the influence of radical Islamists.

(3) Iran, which has long sought to foment instability and promote extremism in the Middle East, is now seeking to exploit the dramatic political transition underway in the region to undermine governments traditionally aligned with the United States and support extremist political movements in these countries.

(4) At the same time, Iran may soon attain a nuclear weapons capability, a development that would fundamentally threaten vital American interests, destabilize the region, encourage regional nuclear proliferation, further empower and embolden Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, and provide it the tools to threaten its neighbors, including Israel.

(5) Over the past several years, with the assistance of Iran and Syria, Hizballah and Hamas have increased their stockpiles of rockets, with more than 60,000 rockets now ready to be fired at Israel. Iran continues to add to its arsenal of ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, which threaten Iran’s neighbors, Israel, and United States military forces in the region.

(6) As a result, the strategic environment that has kept Israel secure and safeguarded United States national interests for the past 35 years has eroded.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr4133/text

[Roland99]

18. lovely...just lovely.

[azurnoir]

31. it's the Iran part of the second link I find disturbing really disturbing

but on the bright side this has to make through the Senate too, gives some hope however small

[penndragon69]

19. We all knew they would do this.

These lying FUCK WADS are all bent over to lick Norquist and Ryans balls.

But hey....it gives Democrats (the TRUE AMERICANS) even more
ammo to blast these hypocrites out of Washington.

[DallasNE]

20. The Real Message From This Vote

Is that Republicans cannot be trusted to bargin in good faith. The defense cuts were part of a grand bargin agreed upon by both Republicans and Democrats to avoid a government shutdown. This attempt by the Republicans puts back on the table a government shutdown. To Republicans it is all about confrontation and election year politics and nothing about the needs of this country. Missing also is Congressional scoring to show impact on jobs because this bill would surely costs jobs while not improving our defense posture around the world. It is a lose-lose situation for sure.

[cstanleytech]

21. I'm for this bill

providing there are some amendments as follows.
#1 Congress and the Senates healthcare is eleminated.
#2 Congress and the Senates pay is cut and capped to be $7.25 an hour with a cap of 40 hours per week.
#3 The Bush tax cuts are repealed
#4 All tax loopholes for those earning more then 1 million from any source are eliminated.
#5 The tax on those earning over 1 million from any way shape or form is increased to 90% and its linked to a combination of the national poverty level and the unemployment % so their taxes only lower if those levels go lower with the lowest level tax possible being 35% for the ultra wealthy.
#6 The GOP grows a soul.

[Swede Atlanta]

29. OK...that sent me over the edge...

I'm having a personal moment now.

[L0oniX]

22. Can you say "V E T O"?

[Richardo]

26. No need - it'll never see the light of day in the Senate.

[Galraedia]

23. Military spending:

[Richardo]

24. Thanks for the campaign reel, Boehner!!

[drynberg]

25. THIS REALLY STEAMED ME FOR ABOUT 18 SECONDS, THEN

I realized that the Senate won't also pass this and that the Pubs have given us a wonderful election GIFT, oh yeah, this is good stuff to nail those cheap whorish war mongers! On to November!!

[truebrit71]

30. As with everything else this 'Do Nothing' obstructionist bunch of wankers have done...

...this was nothing more than a colossal waste of time....the Senate will not approve it, and even of they did, can you say "Hello Veto"?....

More pandering to their owners, whilst giving the Dems even more ammo....

Bunch of mucking forons if you ask me...

[muriel_volestrangler]

32. Sometimes, you just have to go Godwin:

Attributed to Hermann Goering, 1936 radio broadcast: "Guns will make us powerful; butter will only make us fat." Earlier that year Joseph Goebbels stated: "We can do without butter, but, despite all our love of peace, not without arms. One cannot shoot with butter, but with guns."

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/61/messages/198.html

[Odin2005]

33. I flipped out at work when I heard about this on the radio.

I started going on a rant about how how the Right thinks deficits are so horrible unless they go towards killing brown people in other countries, it took about 5 minutes for a co-worker to calm me down.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

34. No doubt republicans cheered when they cut services for the have nots

[cstanleytech]

35. No, it was more like they lit fireworks off and did cartwheels and then toasted each other

for their wonderful new healthcare plan that was part of the package, you know the plan that asks you not to get sick but if you do get sick die sooner.

[lib2DaBone]

36. Don't forget.. AUSTERITY is a code word for the 1%

"Austerity"... means the 1% will make laws that force the working poor to pay for their misdeeds.

The 1% will buy a new Mercedes and go on vacation while the middle class are foreclosed and live in the street.