Borrowing for Relief and War: Bush Requests more for Iraq, Afghanistan, and New Orleans

How do you pay for emergencies? Do you have a disaster fund or do you borrow in times of crisis? What should the nation be doing?

Do you think the government has handled our tax dollars properly over the last several years?

Worried about debt

It’s not just Democrats criticizing the Bush administration budget; a group of Republicans in the House is also concerned.

The Republican Study Committee (RSC), a group of over one-hundred fiscally-conservative House Republicans, wants President Bush’s $92.2 billion supplemental (that is, not in the regular budget) spending request to be offset by spending cuts.

The supplemental would provide $72.4 billion to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and $19.8 billion for Hurricane Katrina relief.

Deficit hawks

Republicans are often divided over budget issues. Many Republicans are profoundly concerned about the national debt and are known as "deficit hawks" on Capitol Hill.

The RSC and other deficit hawks feel that spending restraint helps the nation to be prepared for emergencies like Katrina and allows Congress to address upcoming budget issues like Medicare and Social Security, which they call "unfunded liabilities", programs required by law for which -- at the present rate -- there will not be enough tax dollars to pay for them.

What’s possible?

Of course, the RSC doesn’t believe the entire $92.2 billion supplemental request can be covered by cutting elsewhere in the budget, but they would like to see much of it balanced by serious spending decreases.

In response to the emergency spending requests for Hurricane Katrina, the RSC launched "Operation Offset," a long list of programs that members feel could be cut down or completely eliminated. The list included everything from transportation projects in key legislators’ home states to delaying the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

What’s the priority?

The RSC would like to see any future Katrina relief offset by cuts in spending or by extra revenue generated by selling federal land. However, most of the money from recent emergency supplemental requests has gone to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The RSC believes that defending the nation is a top priority but that Iraq funding belongs in the general budget instead of a long series of supplemental requests, many of which go unnoticed by the general public.

By including war costs in the general budget, legislators and everyday Americans alike can see how much money is going to the Iraq effort in comparison with other programs. It may also make it easier to keep down overall spending because lawmakers get a clearer picture of how much they’re paying out.

What do you think?

So far, taxpaying Americans have spent about $2,000 each on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the thing is, it will be much more than that in the end because we borrowed the money. We’ll have to pay interest, and in all likelihood our children and our children’s children will have to pay interest on the debt.

How could we better structure the budget? Do you prefer cutting programs or borrowing? Does your Congressperson know what you think?

Your input matters

Your representatives in Congress DO care what you think. Especially now -- 2006 is an election year and many representatives will be looking to reconnect with their constituents. Let your congressmen and women know what you think! Give your senators a piece of your mind! To find your reps, click here.

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Article Posted on: 3/5/2006