GOP proposes cutting Safe Routes to School

Here

Responding to a challenge from President Obama, House Republican leaders today unveiled a plan to slice $375 billion out of the federal budget over the next five years by capping nondefense spending at the rate of inflation and requiring that any bailout money repaid to the Treasury be dedicated to deficit reduction.

Aside from those two big-ticket items, House GOP leaders came up with less than $25 billion in actual program reductions and terminations over the next five years, or about $5 billion in cuts per annum -- less than a third of the $17 billion in program reductions and terminations that Obama has proposed for the fiscal year that begins in October.

The GOP plan -- which would rid the federal government of the office of the Treasurer, eliminate a program currently dedicated to creating safe routes to school and bar federal employees from getting paid for full-time union work, for example -- was greeted with derision by analysts dedicated to reducing the size of government.

Comments

[Catherine]

so when they're in charge "deficits don't matter", but when anyone else is at the helm, deficit reduction is the #1 goal at the expense of all else? and just how much of the current deficit are they responsible for? why is NOW the time to chip away at it?

it's kind of like marrying a guy whose racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt living the high life with his first wife, and you need to work your bum off and live like a pauper to dig him (and now you) out of debt.

and i'm done ranting about politics for today.....

[Eric_W.]

The GOP needs a hostile takeover spearheaded by what I would call actual conservatives (i.e. not what Bill Kristol or O'Reilly call conservatives). This party is totally self-destructing itself and who knows what will happen if they succeed in that endeavour...

All they have done since January is being obstructionist, uncooperative and just plain old vicious. No productive proposal that I have seen so far... It is so sad.

They focus on the wrong things all the time: bikes in the infrastructure stimulus, no on bikes to school (way to fight the obesity and health crisis!). I feel embarrassed for them.

I also agree with Catherine's comment but will restrain myself from elaborating on it any further.

Have a great weekend. Bike shop called that my bike is ready and I will pick it up tomorrow which means my wife will get hers back which I had to impound. ;-)

[Purple Eagle]

The report that I read indicated they also proposed removing money for "transportation enhancements" - which goes towards cyclist/pedestrian improvements such as trails.

[Jack]

I guess now that the Federal Government owns half of General Motors, bikes are competition.