Dem
51
GOP
49
House Republicans want to hold the country (and the world) hostage by refusing to raise the debt limit unless Joe Biden agrees to some budget cuts. Biden dared them to specify what they want cut. They took him up on that and have now made a draft proposal of what they want to remove from the budget. It is all about "wasteful, inefficient and unnecessary federal spending." Of course, what is wasteful is in the eye (and wallet) of the beholder.
One item is reducing Obamacare subsidies. After all, letting people get health care is a big waste. They expect to save $65 billion here. Another is going after the Child Tax Credit, which gives poor people with children a special (refundable) tax credit. Yet another is cutting the SNAP (food stamps) program. They expect to win back $70 billion on these.
Now here's a biggie: fighting woke-waste. The government spent $1.2 million on LGBTQIA+ Pride centers last year as well as $1 million for a "space for gender-expansive people of color" and $750,000 for "Transgender and Gender nonconforming and Intersex (TGI) immigrant women in Los Angeles." These three examples of gross waste add up to $2.95 million. That is 0.00005% of last year's $6 trillion budget. With savings like that, plus killing a $3.6 million trail in Georgia to be named after Michelle Obama, the budget will be back in the black in no time. Maybe the budgeteers ought to download a calculator app for their phones. Some simple four-function calculator apps are free, so they won't add to the deficit. (V)