House Republicans Name An Already Expired Program As First Spending Item They Would Cut

Wonk Room

One program upon which House Republicans have consistently seized upon to bolster their budget-cutting bona fides is the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Emergency Contingency Fund, a successful program that created 250,000 jobs in 37 states via subsidized employment programs for low-income and unemployed workers. And according to National Journal, Republicans are once again railing against the program:

House Republicans have targeted one of the first programs they would like to ax: the $25 billion emergency fund for people who lose their jobs, part of last year’s stimulus bill. Rep. Tom Price of Georgia, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, said the program encourages states to increase their welfare caseloads “without requiring able-bodied individuals to work, get job training, or make other efforts to move off of taxpayer assistance.”

As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities pointed out, Price’s characterization of the fund is completely inaccurate. The program also had the staunch support of many Republican governors, including Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS), who said it provided “much-needed aid during this recession by enabling businesses to hire new workers, thus enhancing the economic engines of our local communities.”

But the crux of the issue is that eliminating the TANF emergency fund will save exactly zero dollars, because the program has already expired! It was funded at $5 billion for two years, and ended on September 30, 2010. It’s over, and there is no money for Price to save.

Note several things here. One, the GOP has spent months ignoring the question "What specifically would you cut?". The answer was a variant on 'we'll see when we get in there'. Now that they're there, the first answer is to cut an already expired program.

Point number two is that they were planning to cut a program that provided relief to unemployed workers.

Read that last sentence again.

I wonder how many unemployed workers voted Republican two weeks ago? I wonder how many just stayed home? Why? There's not much else to say, just "why?". By not turning out for the Democrats, you've cut your own economic throat. and it's not like you can say you didn't know. The GOP promised to cut unemployment benefits, they consistently voted against them.

If you're not in the richest 2%, prepare for the hard times to get worse because the GOP has made it clear that they don't care about you.