Key Part of Blue Dog Blueprint Passes the House
February 8, 2012
Leaders Say Expedited Rescission will Help Cut Spending
The fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition in the U.S. House of Representatives today praised passage of a budget tool they have long fought to enact, which they said will help Congress and the President better work together to reduce unnecessary spending. H.R. 3521, the Expedited Legislative Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act of 2011, passed the House on a 254 to 173 bipartisan vote.
Expedited rescission – similar to a line-item veto in concept – is a key component of the Blue Dogs' 2010 Blueprint for Fiscal Reform – a comprehensive, 15-point plan to balance the budget and lay the groundwork for sound fiscal policies over the long term. The Blue Dog Coalition officially endorsed expedited rescission legislation in March 2011, arguing the measure was needed to help restore some fiscal discipline back to the federal government by forcing Congress and the President to target, reduce and eliminate specific pork projects and wasteful government programs that continue to drain the federal pocketbook.
"The Blue Dogs proposed this idea more than two years ago as part of our comprehensive plan to help balance the budget and we are pleased to finally see it pass the House," said Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications. "This is just one of many Blue Dog ideas that have now passed the House or became law and we will keep fighting for good policy that reduces our deficit, balances the budget and helps get our economy back on track."
"This is a good way to cut wasteful spending and reduce our deficit," said Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy. "I'll continue to work with both sides of the aisle to find common sense solutions to get our fiscal house in order, get our economy back on track and get folks back to work."
"Expedited rescission is a critical tool to restore fiscal discipline to our federal budget and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely," said Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration. "I am pleased that my colleagues in the House on both sides of the aisle have come together to pass this common-sense proposal. There is still much work to be done to put our country back on a fiscally sustainable path and eliminate wasteful spending, but this is an important and necessary first step."
"Americans are demanding that we bring the federal budget back under control, and this bill would give Congress and the President the necessary tools to do so," said Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., Blue Dog Whip. "By allowing us to easily review spending bills to remove wasteful components, we will be better able to ensure taxpayer dollars are well spent."
Since 1952, Congress has only passed its appropriations bills on time four times and has failed to pass its appropriations bills on time for the 15th straight year, while the national debt has topped $15 trillion. Within 45 days of the enactment of an appropriations bill, H.R. 3521 authorizes the President to transmit a special message to Congress proposing to cancel any amount of discretionary budget authority. Legislation implementing the proposed cancellations would receive expedited floor consideration and an automatic up-or-down vote without amendment. This bill devotes all savings from the Expedited Legislative Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act to deficit reduction and requires the statutory discretionary spending caps to be adjusted downwards to reflect the savings.
Provisions of the Blue Dog Coalition's Blueprint for Fiscal Reform that have so far passed the House of Representatives or become law:
In the 112th Congress:
Click here to see video of Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., speaking on the House floor in support of H.R. 3521, the Expedited Legislative Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act of 2011.
The fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition was formed in 1995 with the goal of representing the center of the House of Representatives and appealing to the mainstream values of the American public. The Blue Dogs are dedicated to a core set of beliefs that transcend partisan politics, including a deep commitment to the financial stability and national security of the United States. Visit the Blue Dog website at https://ross.house.gov/BlueDog to learn more. You can also get up-to-the-minute news updates on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/BlueDogPress.
Expedited rescission – similar to a line-item veto in concept – is a key component of the Blue Dogs' 2010 Blueprint for Fiscal Reform – a comprehensive, 15-point plan to balance the budget and lay the groundwork for sound fiscal policies over the long term. The Blue Dog Coalition officially endorsed expedited rescission legislation in March 2011, arguing the measure was needed to help restore some fiscal discipline back to the federal government by forcing Congress and the President to target, reduce and eliminate specific pork projects and wasteful government programs that continue to drain the federal pocketbook.
"The Blue Dogs proposed this idea more than two years ago as part of our comprehensive plan to help balance the budget and we are pleased to finally see it pass the House," said Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications. "This is just one of many Blue Dog ideas that have now passed the House or became law and we will keep fighting for good policy that reduces our deficit, balances the budget and helps get our economy back on track."
"This is a good way to cut wasteful spending and reduce our deficit," said Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy. "I'll continue to work with both sides of the aisle to find common sense solutions to get our fiscal house in order, get our economy back on track and get folks back to work."
"Expedited rescission is a critical tool to restore fiscal discipline to our federal budget and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely," said Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration. "I am pleased that my colleagues in the House on both sides of the aisle have come together to pass this common-sense proposal. There is still much work to be done to put our country back on a fiscally sustainable path and eliminate wasteful spending, but this is an important and necessary first step."
"Americans are demanding that we bring the federal budget back under control, and this bill would give Congress and the President the necessary tools to do so," said Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., Blue Dog Whip. "By allowing us to easily review spending bills to remove wasteful components, we will be better able to ensure taxpayer dollars are well spent."
Since 1952, Congress has only passed its appropriations bills on time four times and has failed to pass its appropriations bills on time for the 15th straight year, while the national debt has topped $15 trillion. Within 45 days of the enactment of an appropriations bill, H.R. 3521 authorizes the President to transmit a special message to Congress proposing to cancel any amount of discretionary budget authority. Legislation implementing the proposed cancellations would receive expedited floor consideration and an automatic up-or-down vote without amendment. This bill devotes all savings from the Expedited Legislative Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act to deficit reduction and requires the statutory discretionary spending caps to be adjusted downwards to reflect the savings.
Provisions of the Blue Dog Coalition's Blueprint for Fiscal Reform that have so far passed the House of Representatives or become law:
In the 112th Congress:
- H.R. 3521 - Expedited Legislative Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act of 2011
- 02/08/2012 - Passed the House
- First proposed in 111th Congress as H.R.4921 – Budget Enforcement Legislative Tool Act of 2010
- Executive Order 13531 establishing the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
- 02/18/2010 – President Signs Executive Order
- Idea first proposed by Blue Dogs as H.R.1557 - Securing America's Future Economy Commission Act
- H.J.Res.45 - Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010
- 02/14/2010 – Signed Into Law
- Forces Congress to pay for new programs
- H.R.3393 - Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2009
- 07/22/2010 – Signed Into Law
- Increases transparency and accountability in government
- H.R.2142 - Government Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Performance Improvement Act of 2009
- 01/04/2011 – Signed Into Law
- Institutes performance-based budgeting
Click here to see video of Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., speaking on the House floor in support of H.R. 3521, the Expedited Legislative Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act of 2011.
-###-
The fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition was formed in 1995 with the goal of representing the center of the House of Representatives and appealing to the mainstream values of the American public. The Blue Dogs are dedicated to a core set of beliefs that transcend partisan politics, including a deep commitment to the financial stability and national security of the United States. Visit the Blue Dog website at https://ross.house.gov/BlueDog to learn more. You can also get up-to-the-minute news updates on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/BlueDogPress.