Schools, Cops, And Health Care: What The gop 'Pledge To America' Would Actually Cut

[babylonsister]

Schools, Cops, And Health Care: What The 'Pledge To America' Would Actually Cut
Brian Beutler | October 7, 2010, 10:15AM


"With common-sense exceptions for seniors, veterans, and our troops, we will roll back government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels, saving us at least $100 billion in the first year alone and putting us on a path to balance the budget and pay down the debt."

So reads the House Republicans' "Pledge to America" -- a supposedly deficit-reducing plan that calls for trillions of dollars' worth of specific tax cuts, but only $100 billion of non-specific spending cuts to offset that cost.

Still, $100 billion pays for a lot of things. Bloomberg took a close look at just what would take a hit under the Republican plan -- adding specificity where the Republicans offered none. Here are the top five issues that would suffer under the Pledge to America.

1. Education

President Obama has requested over $70 billion for the Department of Education next year. A cut along the lines of what the Republicans propose would necessitate a $5 billion cut to the Pell Grant program, which assists low-income students with college tuition costs.

2. Health Care

This is where Republicans really want to do damage -- to Obama's health care reform law. But their discretionary spending cut alone would mean billions in fewer resources for the Department of Health and Human Services. Perhaps most troubling, the National Institutes of Health would take a $6 billion hit. The Centers for Disease Control would also take hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts. And the National Cancer Institute, where spending has risen dramatically in the last two years, would have to pare back about $13 billion.

3. Social Services

Congress would also have to cut money for Justice Assistance Grants -- a.k.a. state and local law enforcement. Without cuts, that's $2 billion. Republicans would take $400 million from local police forces alone.

more...

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/schools-cops-and-health-care-how-the-pledge-to-america-would-actually-cut-spending.php?ref=fpi

[Lasher]

1. How much would they take from billionaires?

Surely they would expect everybody to sacrifice something to help pay down their deficit.

[babylonsister]

2. Oh no! They get tax breaks! nt

[Lasher]

3. Is that so we'll get trickled on with prosperity?

Like we did during the GWB years?