House Republicans aren't messing around now that they have taken the Majority back. In the latest push for less spending and government interference, GOP leaders are promoting a "cut-as-you-go" plan that would require old government programs to be cut in order for new ones to emerge. Read the Wall Street Journal report here:
In another nod to conservative activists, House Republicans want to impose new rules that would make it harder for Congress to create government programs.
Oregon Rep. Greg Walden, who’s leading the Republicans’ transition to the House majority, is asking colleagues to support a change to the party’s internal rules that would require lawmakers to cut spending or eliminate programs to offset the costs of any new programs established under fast-track “suspension” bills that require a two-thirds majority for passage and can’t be amended.
House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio first suggested the change during a Sept. 30 speech to the American Enterpise Institute, dubbing it “Cut-As-You-Go” — a play on pay-as-you-go rules that require lawmakers to offset any legislation that adds to the budget by cutting spending or raising new revenue through taxes or fees. He borrowed the idea from Republican Rep. Roy Blunt, who just won a Senate seat in Missouri.