Winners and Losers!

[Pistarkle]

The latest media hype on who were the “winners” and “losers” surrounding the Congressional Budget agreement is a bit lopsided in favor of Republicans, but considering ALL of the provisions included in the agreement - EVERYBODY loss and EVERYBODY won.

Regarding the dollar factor, Tea Party Republican Lawmakers wanted a $100 billion cut. Other Republican Lawmakers presented a final offer of a $69 billion cut. The Democrats’ final offer was a $35 billion cut and they ALL ended up with a $38 billion cut. Who won – ALL PARTIES BY COMPROMISING AND AVOIDING A GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN!

One of the KEY factors in the budget agreement that the media is hardly covering is RIDERS. The Republican House majority ATTACHED over 80 riders to the budget. NONE OF THOSE RIDERS ENDED UP IN THE FINAL AGREEMENT. We heard a lot about the “Planned Parenthood” factor, but you might be surprised about what was banned or prohibited by other “riders”. Here are just a FEW examples as documented by OMB Watch:

• “prohibits the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from collecting information on multiple sales of rifles or shotguns to the same person”!
• “bans funding for the Department of Education regulations on Gainful Employment”
• “prohibits Job Training funding for competitions for new Job Corps centers.
• “strips funding for any provision of the Health Care Reform law”!
• “blocks funds for Health Insurance Exchanges”!
• “prohibits funds to carry out the medical loss ratio restrictions in the health care reform law. These provisions require insurers to spend at least a certain percent of their premium revenues on medical care”!
• “prohibits funding for capital advances or rental assistance contracts for HUD Housing for the Elderly project“!
• “prohibits funding for carrying out section 19 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act”!
• “prohibits funding for enforcing an order by the Secretary of the Interior calling for protecting public natural spaces”!
• “prohibits funds for a government sponsored “consumer products complaints database.”
• “prohibits funding for the Wetlands Reserve Program”!
• “prohibits funding for hiring new TSA employees!

In regards to the “riders”, who won – ALL OF US!

[Champion Jack]

1. K & R