Congress has reached a new level of dysfunctionality. After almost forcing America into default over the summer, Congress imposed on itself a deadline by which to reduce the deficit by November 23rd, a date that is fast approaching. Needing to trim the deficit $1.2 trillion in order to avoid $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts, the bipartisan committee charged with agreeing on the cuts has so agreed upon $0 worth of deficit reduction...imagine that.
I'm going to take my usual dig at Republicans here since, indeed, they deserve much of the blame. Democrats on the committee offered a deal that would have cut the deficit by $2.5-3 trillion with cuts to entitlement programs and new tax revenues. Republican, predictably, placed rigid and outdated ideology over the good of the country.
But the purpose of this article isn't to slam Republican intransigence. Because right now Congress - both parties - is making a complete mockery of itself which is saying quite a bit given how worthless Congress has been for the last two year. As I mentioned before, if Congress fails to reach an agreement on how to reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion, then previously agreed upon automatic cuts will go into effect. While none of this automatic deficit reduction will come through higher taxes, around $500 billion will come from the Pentagon's budget. This provision was included to counter cuts to domestic spending, the idea being that Democrats would be willing to negotiate to avoid cuts to domestic programs and that Republicans would loathe the idea of cuts to the military so much that they would compromise.
The assumption about domestic cuts was clearly correct as evidenced by the Democratic offer. But problematically the assumption about military cuts was a poor one. Not only are Republicans refusing to budge on taxes, but Republicans and Democrats both are now trying to pass new legislation that would prevent cuts to the military from taking place. Congress can't get anything done. Congress can't even hold itself accountable. This is a true embarrassment.
No one in Congress, Democrat or Republican, wants to make America less safe. Testimony from the Pentagon brass claims that $500 billion in cuts would hollow out the military. It's probably true, and no one wants that. Could the military allocate money more efficiently and spend less? Absolutley, but no one wants the country to be any less safe. And that is exactly the reason it would be a real travesty for Congress to undermine whatever shred of credibility they have left and negate the provisions of the law that would cut military spending. There is another, better way to avoid military cuts - make a deal!
What message does it send about the American government that our politicians can't take the steps to improve our America and then can't even hold themselves to a self-imposed ultimatum? Is this really the best we can do for our country?
Speaker Boehner, a political rollercoaster, came out against changing the law. Like everyone, he wants to avoid cuts to the military. Like me, he thinks the best way to do that is through a deal on the deficit rather than by giving America yet another glaring example of how ludicrous our politicians (and his party in particular) have been for the last few years.
America deserves better than the circus happening in Washington, DC. While one party is more to blame than the other, the current debacle is being driven by by Democrats and Republicans. The only display of bipartisanship in months is the attempt to wiggle out of the minimal commitments that Congress wasn't able to reach.
If this is the best we can do then perhaps we don't deserve solutions. I wonder if the Kardashians are annoyed that Congress is stealing their dramatic thunder. If anything can surpass the vapidness of E TV it is surely the national embarrassment occuring in our nation's capitol.
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