H.Res. 38 A resolution Reducing Non-Security Spending to Fiscal Year 2008 Levels or Less

Sponsor: Rep. David Dreier, (Rules Committee) Date: January 24, 2011. 112th Congress, 1st Session. Bill Summary & Status 112th Congress (2011 - 2012) H.RES.38

FLOOR SITUATION

The House is scheduled to consider H.Res. 43, a rule providing for the consideration of H.Res. 38, on Monday, January 24, 2011. H.Res. 43 is scheduled to be considered with one hour of debate equally divided between the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Rules. H.Res. 43 was reported by the Committee on Rules on January 19, 2011.

If H.Res. 43 is approved, the rule will provide for consideration of H.Res. 38, a resolution reducing non-security spending for the remainder of FY 2011 to FY 2008 levels or less. H.Res. 38 is scheduled to be considered on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, with one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Rules.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

H.Res. 38 would require the House Budget Committee to set non-security budget allocation levels for the remainder of FY 2011 at FY 2008 spending levels or less. Pursuant to the rules of the 112th Congress (H.Res. 5), the Budget Committee is required to set budget allocations levels for subcommittees (known as section 302(a) allocations) for the remainder of FY 2011 by printing those levels in the Congressional Record. Under the House Rules, allocations printed in the Congressional Record would be considered to be the adoption of a concurrent resolution and serve as the budget allocation levels for the remainder of FY 2011.

H.Res. 38 would require the Budget Committee to provide non-security spending for the remainder of FY 2011 at FY 2008 levels or less. Under the Rules of the 112th Congress, the Budget Committee chairman has interim authority that only applies to the FY 2011 budget to file committee allocations and budget aggregates that would serve as the budget until Congress adopts a new budget. Legislation that violates the committee allocations or the budget aggregates is subject to points of order under the Budget Act.

BACKGROUND

After an explosion in spending and two consecutive years of trillion dollar deficits, House Democrats failed to even propose a budget for the current fiscal year—the first time this has happened since 1974, when the modern congressional budget process was established. Last September, House Republicans called on Democrats to join them and immediately begin to end their job-killing spending spree by reducing FY 2011 spending to pre-bailout, pre-stimulus levels. Democrats refused to join with House Republicans and instead chose to use a stop-gap funding measure during a lame-duck session of Congress to keep spending at the unsustainably high levels until March 4, 2011. Bringing spending back to FY 2008 levels will set a new spending baseline and reduce overall government spending for years to come. Cutting spending back to pre-bailout, pre-stimulus levels will be one of many steps that House Republicans will take to rein in runaway government spending that destroys jobs.

The Rules of the 112th Congress (H.Res. 5) provide the Budget Committee the authority to file temporary budget allocations to committees (known as section 302(a) allocations) for FY 2011. The aggregates and allocations printed in the Congressional Record would be considered to be the adoption of a concurrent resolution on the budget for the remainder of FY 2011. The Rules also provide authority for the Budget Committee Chairman to set total spending and revenue levels. This is temporary authority that lasts until adoption of the budget later this year and it only applies to the FY 2011 budget.

COST

A CBO cost estimate for H. Res. 38 was not available at press time.

Bill Summary & Status 112th Congress (2011 - 2012) H.RES.38

TEXT CREDIT: Committee on Rules 1627 Longworth HOB T (202) 225-9191 F (202) 225-6763

Eric Cantor MEET THE PRESS 01/23/11 VIDEO TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Eric Cantor MEET THE PRESS 01/23/11 January 23, 2011 VIDEO TEXT TRANSCRIPT

MR. GREGORY: Good morning. This weekend, the president has offered up a preview of his State of the Union address in an online video to his supporters. The focus of his address, the president says, will be "making sure the economy is working for everybody." And with us this morning for his first appearance here as House majority leader, Congressman Eric Cantor of Virginia.

Welcome back to MEET THE PRESS.

REP. ERIC CANTOR (R-VA): Good morning, David.

MR. GREGORY: Everybody's talking about the State of the Union address, and the president is already previewing it. This is a portion of the message that he will deliver on Tuesday. Watch.

(Videotape, yesterday)

PRES. BARACK OBAMA: And so my principle focus, my number one focus, is going to be making sure that we are competitive, that we are growing, and that we are creating jobs not just now, but well into the future. And that's what is going to be the main topic of the State of the Union.

(End videotape)

MR. GREGORY: Being competitive, in his mind, also means some additional targeted spending in some areas to make America competitive, as well as cuts, as well as dealing with the deficit. Here is the headline in The New York Times this morning, the way they describe it: "Obama to Press Centrist Agenda in His Address. A Retooled Presidency. Balancing Deficit Cuts with New Spending to Create Jobs."

Is that a vision you can support?

REP. CANTOR: David, you know, I'm, I'm really interested to see and hear what the president has to say. I, I, I think he's got a real chance to lead here. But the question is, did he listen and has he learned from the last election? I think that the vision the president laid out over the last two years is one very much focused on increasing government spending and trying to spawn action from a Washington-based perspective. And, and what the people have said is, "Enough. We've got to shrink government, we've got to cut spending, and we need to really look to the private sector to grow jobs."

MR. GREGORY: But he's saying, he's saying now there's got to be a combination of some spending to keep America competitive, and also cuts dealing with the deficit. Is that a vision you can support?

REP. CANTOR: What we've said is our Congress is going to be a cut and grow Congress; that we believe we've got to cut spending, we've got to cut the regulations that have stopped job growth.

MR. GREGORY: Right.

REP. CANTOR: When the president talks about competitiveness, sure, we want America to be competitive. But then when he talks about investing, I think even someone from the White House this week had said that this is going to be a cut and invest White House. We want to cut and grow. Because when we, we hear invest, when--from anyone in Washington, to me that means more spending. And any...

MR. GREGORY: Right. Well, well, let's just be clear. You don't believe that there's a balance that you have to get right in terms of investing in the economy to help it innovate, to become more competitive. That's not a vision you agree with.

REP. CANTOR: David, where--what I would say is the investment needs to occur in the private sector.

MR. GREGORY: Not by government.

REP. CANTOR: And, and for too long, and for too long now there's been uncertainty on the part of investors.

MR. GREGORY: Right. OK, well, let's, let's pick up where Republicans have left off. Cut and grow, that's the mantra. You campaigned on a pledge to America last September, and this is a part of what you said, it was very clear: "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." And then you came into office and you said, "Well, we're not going to hit that $100 billion figure." And here was the headline on Friday in The Washington Post: "GOP bloc in the House calls for deeper cuts," and the sub-headline: "Campaign pledge divides the party." You're arguing about just how much to spend. I thought this was already worked out.

REP. CANTOR: David, let, let's step back a minute and look at sort of the whole sort of continuum of the spending challenges. We're, we're going to really have three bites at the apple here as far as approaching reducing spending and the size of Washington. As far as the mess in the past, we're going to have this debt limit increase vote that will come, and that is dealing with the rampant spending that's been in place in this town for some time that's gone on overdrive in, in the last couple years.

MR. GREGORY: And I'll get to the debt limit, but this is a targeted question.

REP. CANTOR: But as far as the decisions that we make now, it is about the continuing resolution vote that will come up in the next month or so, al right?

MR. GREGORY: Right. But $100 billion, or not $100 billion?

REP. CANTOR: And, and we've committed to say $100 billion in reductions, which brings spending down to '08 levels.

FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT Meet the Press transcript for Jan. 23, 2011

TEXT and VIDEO CREDIT: msnbc.com