Federal Budget

The New York Times

April 13^th, 2012

Jonathan Weisman

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/14/us/politics/house-republicans-to-tackle-federal-budget.html

Summary:

Republicans from the House of Representatives have gathered to draft an appropriations bill that proposed to slash government spending especially in entitlement programs by nearly 3 trillion. Of the cuts, discretionary spending, agriculture, and entitlement programs will be the most heavily targeted. While many remain skeptical of whether these cuts will actually occur and if so, what their repercussions will be, former Bush economist, the current spokesman for the Ways and Means committee shows confidence in their plans.

Connection:

One of the biggest problems that has plagued consecutive president is the issue of budget deficit. Currently with the continuously increasing debt of the government, cutting spending has been the answers. However, usually, cutting spending also means less aid for the people who need it the most, such as recipients of Medicaid and Medicare.

Reflection

While Democratic politicians are characterized by their inclination to increase federal spending, supporting a larger government, Republican politicians have always advocated the opposite, for a smaller budget and smaller government. However, both approaches have their pros and cons. For example, while cutting unnecessary spending and thus helping to reduce federal deficit seems to be for a good cause, cutting spending also means reducing the quality of education and health care that many need.