House GOP Cut Budget for Firefighting But Raise Their Own Security Budget

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While you were busy watching the latest fake scandal drama, House Republicans pulled another rug out from under Americans.

The Republican controlled House Appropriations Committee passed via a party line vote on Tuesday a move to give themselves a budget increase as they cut budgets already reduced via the sequester. These include firefighting efforts, cutting an additional 18% of the funding out of labor, health and education programs including Indian healthcare, which are already facing sequester cuts.

Naturally the Republicans spared Homeland Security, the Pentagon, and even Veterans Affairs. (They cannot afford to be seen screwing over veterans again so soon.) Republicans claim they need the extra money for security and police upgrades:

Appropriations panel spokeswoman Jennifer Hing said the reason for the slight budget increase include greater police costs and security upgrades for the House’s oldest office building.

Sigh. It becomes more and more expensive to keep the rabble away from the castle. Qu’ils mangent de la brioche!

So, less firefighting for you, but increased security for them.

To be fair to Republicans, although they can’t manage any kind of fiscal responsibility when their party is actually in power, they’ve been making cuts to the House budget for the past three years (though they work substantially less each year, so perhaps they use less resources because they are not actually in D.C.). Obstructionism sort of suits them, causing them to convulsively restrict into a cruel parody of GOP values, which they naturally reject while actually in power.

So they view this as a needed boost. I do wish they’d explain to Americans how their salaries must remain the same and they can’t operate at their slightly lower level budgets, but YOU SHOULD. Bad firefighters in Oklahoma saving Americans lives.

If Republicans weren’t running around screaming about how only austerity can save us all (in spite of the facts), this wouldn’t be a huge deal. Also, since they’ve suddenly gone all mute on their talking point of the last four years, the DEFICIT (!!) is improving under Obama. Yeah, it turns out that ‘the President’s policies are contributing to the most rapid deficit reduction since World War II.’

Why so quiet, GOP?

Cue the next scandal to distract from the awesome news that another Democrat took care of the spending problem Republicans suffer from when actually in power. Uncle Sam’s endless credit card is way too much fun for frat boys to use wisely, what with the countries to invade and the unpaid for Medicare Part D giveaways….

For a body that rarely comes to work — and when they do, blows money on fabricated investigations — to raise their own budget strikes a bitter note.

Image: Washington Post

Sarah Jones

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