I completely agree we the need to cut spending, however this should be done through the budget process, not after financial commitments are made.When Congress established a program and approved the budget, government has a financial obligation until Congress reverses their decision.
There has to be thousands of entities within the government, which are cost centers, each issuing contracts and hundreds of thousands of requests for payment for services, goods received, salaries and benefits each day. Government is far too large and complex to rapidly switch to a system in which Congress could decide who is to be paid. Even it were possible, Congress would not make those decisions.
If the debt limit is not raised, I believe government would issue payments in the order received until it ran out of money. Government would then default on all payments until it received more revenue. Certainly, treasury bill redemptions without reinvestment would be huge creating an even bigger problem.
I believe the possibility of government default on it's obligations are greater than many believe. It only takes a single senator to block any bill. There are people on both sides of the fence that will stick to their beliefs regardless of the outcome.
There is no way government could manage something like this. Interest rates would increase and what Congress perceived as a way to reduce spending would actually increase spending.
I am not suggesting that we default. I am suggesting that we stop spending. I'm suggesting that we use up what the government already has before it buys any more of anything. I'm suggesting that we close ineffective or non-essential agencies, that we stop funding projects and organizations that never should have been the responsibility of the Federal government in the first place. I am suggesting that we look to members of Congress to also make personal sacrifice such as personally funding their own health and retirement plans and gym memberships. I'm suggesting that we authorize absolutely no money that does not absolutely have to be spent. And I am suggesting that we start now to phase out entitlement programs slowly and carefully so that we do not break faith with the people.
These are all measures to correct the problem so that we do not default on our obligations and debts while we do not add to them.
To say that government is too big to manage efficiently and effectively is not a hell of a lot of incentive to keep sending them more and more money. I am guessing that not a single congressman who votes for the budget has a real clue about what is in it. That needs to stop now.
If Congress tries to reduce the deficit by eliminating inefficiencies and specific programs, they will fail to achieve meaningful spending cuts. The House wanted to cut 293 million from Planned Parenthood, which resulted in a major clash between the two sides and for what? This would have reduced the deficit by .019%. You mentioned NPR. Attempt to cut NPR and there will be another fight and for what? NPR derives only 2% of its budget from the federal government. This amounts 3.6 million dollars, .00024% of the deficit. Making cuts based political ideology is not going to solve the problem. Dropping Gym membership for congressmen, cutting off the lights in Whitehouse, and elimination of first class travel are good political jesters of shared sacrifice, but in the end this would be just distractions from the real tasks.
In order to get a plan through Congress that significantly reduces cost, Congress is going have to concentrate on cost reductions in Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and Defense. I doubt very seriously if any plan would clear the Senate without some increase in personal income tax. The best approach would be to reconsider how we raise revenues, addressing both personal and corporate taxes, deductions, and rates.
Yes, Congress is going to have to address all the entitlement programs and start phasing them out slowly and carefully NOW. But I don't buy that they can't do anything about a budget that is already passed. They do all the time. The budget is purely a guideline. The actually spending is committed in various appropriations bills after the budget is passed and those sometimes bear little resemblance to the actual budget. It can be very specific in the budget, but if it is left out of the appropriations bill, the money is not spent. That has been a formidable weapon wielded by Congress for nefarious purposes for a very long time now.
It's time they use it to put us back on sound financial footing.
And anyhow the Democrats didn't even pass a budget last year and Congress isn't even close on agreeing to one yet this year.