Image Credit: Gage Skidmore / CC
By Carly Moran [The Center Square contributor] –
Members of the House Freedom Caucus introduced 500 bills to reduce non-discretionary spending to pre-COVID levels.
The legislation focuses on establishing budgets that are representative of spending from early 2020. The bills cover the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior budgets, legislative branch appropriations, government financial services, labor departments and foreign operations. None of the bills seek to reduce defense spending.
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., released the bill text on Tuesday.
“The nation faces roughly $32 trillion in debt and the Biden White House is asking Congress to raise the debt ceiling with no commitment to cut spending or make reforms,” Biggs said. “That’s unacceptable and asking for a monumental recession.”
The legislation faces an uphill battle with a Democratically-controlled Senate and the likely veto pen of President Joe Biden.
Biggs argues that the bills would save roughly $100 billion in 2024 and $1 trillion over a decade.
“Despite what Joe Biden yells to the media, these proposals do not impact Social Security or Medicare benefits,” Biggs said. “The House Freedom Caucus debt ceiling proposal to Joe Biden, combined with my proposed individual spending cuts, will put the nation back on a path of fiscal sanity and avoid raising the debt ceiling.”
Cosponsors of the legislation include Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz, Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont. and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.
