Today, House Votes On Cut, Cap And Balance Bill

Update 7:10 p.m.: House passes the Cut, Cap, and Balance bill 234-190. It now goes to the Senate where it expected to be shelved or defeated. Today a "Gang of Six - Now maybe Seven" in the Senate is trying to broker a separate non definitive agreement to cut $3.7 trillion over 10 years via more taxes and not cutting spending. Once again, a few Senators are taking away the voices of the other elected members of Congress sent to Washington, D.C. by their constituents.

Obama has already signaled he may support "THE GANG" verses reducing  spending -- which he opposes Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, applauded passage of Cut, Cap, and Balance legislation by the House of Representatives.

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Today in Washington, D.C. - July 19, 2011:
Today, The US House will vote on Cut, Cap, and Balance. Their goal is to puts the U.S. on a fiscally sustainable path.

The Senate resumed consideration of H.R. 2055, the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs (Milcon-VA) appropriations bill. Votes on amendments are possible today. Yesterday, the Senate voted 80-13 to confirm J. Paul Oetken to be a District Judge for the Southern District of New York.

The Hill writes today, “Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday urged Democrats to get onboard with the GOP's ‘Cut, Cap and Balance’ act. ‘Cut, cap, and balance is the kind of tough legislation Washington needs and that Americans want, and Republicans will spend the week trying to convince Democrats to join us in supporting it,’ said McConnell. . . . McConnell said many Senate Democrats ought to be able to support the part of the bill that would require the federal government to balance its budget through a constitutional amendment. ‘At least 23 of them have either said or suggested they support the idea or told their constituents that they’ll “lead” on the issue,’ said McConnell. ‘I urge my colleagues in the strongest possible terms to join us.’”

In fact, Democrat senators have indicated in the past that they support spending cuts, capping spending, and a balanced budget amendment. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) said earlier this year, “Over the years, I have supported a balanced budget amendment, spending caps, and spending cuts.” Budget Committee Chairman Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) admitted two months ago, “We have a spending problem . . . .” Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) said, “Cutting is essential, and the public wants us to cut . . . .” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said early this year, “ . . . I have supported caps in the past. That's got to be part of this.” And last year, 15 Senate Democrats actually voted “to establish 3 year discretionary spending caps.”

Meanwhile, around 20 Senate Democrats have expressed their support for a balanced budget amendment in the past. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) said in 2006, “I stood up to a President of my own party . . .  In support of the balanced budget amendment, in restoring fiscal sanity to our government.” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said earlier this year, “[T]he balanced budget amendment's very, very important to me and to every governor, to every state, to every household, especially in West Virginia. And if they can do it, they think we can do it also.” In March, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) said, “I voted yes and support a balanced budget amendment that allows for flexibility in times of war and for natural disasters.” And the last time Congress seriously considered a balanced budget amendment, even Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), now the Majority Leader, said, “. . . I believe we should have a constitutional amendment to balance the budget. I am willing to go for that.” And Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), now the Majority Whip, said that “we need to move toward a Balanced Budget Amendment.”

As Leader McConnell said on the Senate floor today, “Every single Republican in the Senate supports a Balanced Budget Amendment. All we need is 20 Democrats to join us in supporting this common sense legislation. . . . We think they should have an opportunity to follow through on their statements with a vote. So I’ll repeat what I said yesterday to my Democratic friends: if I were you, I would take a long look at the Cut, Cap, and Balance legislation the House is taking up today and ask yourself a question. Ask yourself: are you so committed to the status quo that you’d vote no on a bill to balance the federal budget?”

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