With the President's State of the Union address on the horizon, Republican members of Congress are making it clear they'll have no part of any new spending recommendations from the Obama administration.
A group of 165 members of the House Republican caucus, the "Republican Study Committee (RSC)", has put forth a budget cutting plan that would slash federal spending. The bill, called the "Spending Reduction Act of 2011", aims to reduce federal spending by $2.5 trillion over 10 years. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), chairman of the Republican Senate Steering Committee, also backs the plan.
As mentioned previously, the federal government is currently funded under a continuing resolution until March 4, allowing agencies to spend at the same level as last year. As can be seen in the proposal by the RSC, funding would be rolled back for the remainder of this fiscal year to 2008 levels for many programs. With more than one-third of the federal fiscal year gone, this would have a devastating affect on programs of importance to communities.
Given the strength in numbers of the RSC, House Republicans leaders are also cautioning the President about any new "investments" and how they'll approach spending reductions over the coming weeks and months.
With the March 4 deadline fast approaching, there are not many session days to decide how to address keeping the federal government running. And, with cuts looming on the horizon, local officials need to make sure that spending plans utilizing federal funding are in place and be prepared for changes.
Arnold Weinfeld covers federal issues for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.
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