The Republican Holy Grail of sequestration, the idea they were so proud of that they bragged about it and begged for it for years, has turned out to be a total failure.
The fallout resulting from their slapdash, chaotic efforts to drown the baby with the bathwater continues.
In written testimony for an April 29 Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing titled “The Homeland Security Department’s Budget Submission for Fiscal Year 2016”, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson basically begged for relief and protection from the careless, random cuts of the Republican sequestration, saying that unless Congress acts, sequestration will kick in again in 2016 leaving DHS “funding to its lowest level, adjusted for inflation, in a decade.”
The President’s budget request for FY 2016 also proposes to end sequestration. Unless Congress acts to prevent it, sequestration kicks in again in 2016. This would bring homeland security funding to its lowest level, adjusted for inflation, in a decade. Now is not the time to take such a huge step backward in our Nation’s homeland security funding. At a sequester level, funding for the Department would be inadequate to continue paying for our current workforce and programs. Meanwhile, pay and inflation costs would automatically increase notwithstanding sequestration. Many other key initiatives that were funded in FY 2015 would be discontinued or sharply curtailed. These initiatives include added border security on our southern border, more CBP officers, more ICE attorneys for immigration enforcement, and more HSI agents. Furthermore, the FY 2016 budget includes requests to implement recommendations of the United States Secret Service Protective Missions Panel. If sequestration returns, our ability to fully fund this, too, is jeopardized. We need to move forward, not backward, in our funding of homeland security.
Our FY 2016 Budget focuses resources in each of the Department’s mission areas: prevent terrorism and enhance security, secure and manage our borders, enforce and administer our immigration laws, safeguard and secure cyberspace, and strengthen national preparedness and resilience.
And it’s not just the Department of Homeland Security. As Congress addresses spending levels for the 2016 budget, they are realizing that they can’t keep going at sequestration levels because the numbers do not even meet inflation. How’s that for efficiency.
Chad Pergram of Fox News noted today, “Hse Apps Chair Rogers on $ bills: There’s a realization by people we have to do something. We can’t pass bills at these sequestration levels… Hse Apps Cmte Chair Rogers on the challenges to pass spending bills this yr. Says the numbers ‘don’t even meet inflation’ due to sequester.”
Hse Apps Cmte Chair Rogers on the challenges to pass spending bills this yr. Says the numbers "don't even meet inflation" due to sequester.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) April 29, 2015
Hse Apps Chair Rogers on $ bills: There's a realization by people we have to do something. We can't pass bills at these sequestration levels
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) April 29, 2015
Sequestration is basically modern Republican fiscal ideology in a nutshell. Cut everything, don’t ask what makes sense to cut, just cut and let the collateral damage find its targets. All of this so that they can continue to give billionaires tax cuts and subsidize big business with tax payments from the people.
Sequestration makes no sense; it is not based on responsibility, but rather on irresponsibility. It’s someone’s idea of an Ayn Rand novel come to life. Someone who clearly doesn’t understand the difference between reality and fiction (Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), this one’s for you).
Most people will agree that government is bloated and inefficient. But then, so are most major corporations. A real leader doesn’t run around cutting budgets without looking at them first and learning what they do.
Republicans like to pretend they are the party of personal responsibility and national security, but with this one move they have destroyed that narrative. And the bad news for Republicans is, they weren’t doing so hot on either narrative before sequestration. This is just another outcome that tells the story of the epic failure of the modern Republican party’s “ideas”. These folks can’t govern their way out of a paper bag. They can’t be trusted with national security, which they repeatedly treat like a hostage to advance their own political pandering.
Republican sequestration is a failure. It’s a disaster. It is the worst of Republicanism — drunken frat boys swaggering about, quoting Ayn Rand while they shut down the government and undermine national security for the momentary high of the illusion of power.
Back down here on the ground with the grown ups, Republican fantasies aren’t working out like they do in Rand’s fiction.
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This is totally on repugs. These jerks have absolutely no agenda to do anything constructive for our country. Frankly, most of them do not have any sense at all.
We must turn out in record numbers next year to get control of the Senate and regain some of the house seats. Hillary will need them.
And why do the repugs try to screw veterans every chance they get? They make me sick!
Eddie Munster needs to have an accident. Requiring a brain transplant. Then Grandpa can take him to the Dungeon, concoct a potion, and create a working brain with a SOUL!
The crucial point:
We must turn out in record numbers…
The response:
I am pessismistic re: turnout
The hope:
That my pessimism goes unrewarded
They know what they are doing and are very intelligent. The problem is there is no moral turpitude. They are a criminal organization with one motive which is to steal the wealth of this country for their backers. They are getting paid staggering amounts of money for what they do. Every word out of their mouth is straight from the banks and corporations most of which are overseas. Basically they are involved with the takeover and overthrow of the government and handing them to those overseas powers. Worse the corporate media has everyone so brainwashed that nobody sees it or feel there is nothing anybody can do.
If there was another terrorist attack on our country, ReTHUGS would be quick to blame Democrats and Pres. Obama in particular. Everything’s been his fault even before he was inaugurated in 2009.
Reverse Robin Hood economics ala Ryan and Rove.
Sponsored by one percent mouthpieces in Congress.
Repugs suck as bad with the economy as they do with
foreign policies.
I agree with almost everything you posted except I think Hillary will self-destruct in the primaries. The democratic nomination will boil down between O’Malley, and Bernie Sanders.
O’Malley has some splaining to do
Presidential Hopeful O’Malley Was Warned His Police Strategy Would Produce More Rodney Kings in Baltimore
Maryland’s former governor and would-be president has a lot to answer for in Baltimore’s black community.
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/presidential-hopeful-omalley-was-warned-his-police-strategy-would-produce-more
Republicans, who never seem to know when a bad thing is bad, will carry this budget battle into 2016, prompting an Obama veto, a government shutdown, and hopes of winning the White House. Of course with MRS Clinton AND the President beating them up on this, it’ll backfire, like every other brain fart they’ve had.
RETHUGS screw Vets because THEY( MOST OF THEM)have never gone to the wars, started by the thugs. SOO who do you suppose pay the bill, of course it’s the Vets ALONG WITH ANY WORKING MAN OR WOMEN. Thugs DO NOT care about the country it’s people or the Gov. only themselves…Need examples? think Wis, Mich, Kansas any State run by them.
The Republican Game Plan:
Defund Homeland Security.
Homeland Incident occurs.
Blame Obama.
Entender?
PoliticusUSA Please Please look what you are doing to my mental health….A photo of Lyin Ryan next to the face of the vomit inducing dipstick Walker of Wisconsin, have mercy.
Defunding Homeland Security is the only productive thing GOPOS has done. We need to borrow Grover’s bathtub and drown it. They’re the ones training our police to kill us.
Voters love GOP economic disasters in Kansas. Keep doing the same thing expecting a different result is insane. They trash the Federal budget and then expect that very same resource to support their failing states. Plenty more GOP states to follow the Kansas model. Keep voting for the idiots.
John;I hear what you are saying about Hillary. But I feel if she moves left of center she may survive. That being said,I love Bernie Sanders,one of the ultra few politicians I trust and Martin O’Malley caught me off guard with his display of common sense. Should Bernie become President,along with the American people waking the Eff up and voting Republicans out once and for all,a Democratic run Congress and President we can finally straighten this country out. Just my thoughts.
Vet O’Malley very carefully
Presidential Hopeful O’Malley Was Warned His Police Strategy Would Produce More Rodney Kings in Baltimore
Maryland’s former governor and would-be president has a lot to answer for in Baltimore’s black community.
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/presidential-hopeful-omalley-was-warned-his-police-strategy-would-produce-more
Limbaugh is still spouting Obama policies caused the 2008 recession. his idiots still think that. They are unable to understand hard facts.