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US Debt Hits $13T - But Spending Spree in DC Continues..... trzaska2000 Send a noteboard - 26/05/2010 05:09:48 PM
$13 Trillion in debt
Over 90% annual GDP
Another $10 Trillion in debt coming based on Obama's budget

US = Greece (or will be soon if this madness doesn't stop):

Despite Soaring National Debt, Congress Goes on Spending Spree

As the national debt clock ticked past the ignominious $13 trillion mark overnight, Congress pressed to pass a host of supplemental spending bills to, among other things, fund the continuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, ramp up security on the U.S.-Mexico border and prevent teacher layoffs.

As the national debt clock ticked past the ignominious $13 trillion mark overnight, Congress pressed to pass a host of supplemental spending bills to, among other things, fund the continuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, ramp up security on the U.S.-Mexico border and prevent teacher layoffs.

Taken together, the Democratic-led U.S. Congress is trying to find a way to pass about $300 billion more in unfunded spending before Memorial Day -- a spending spree that rivals anything drunken sailors have been accused of.

The underlying war funding measure that congressional leaders hope to pass by the end of the week would bring the amount provided by Congress for the Iraq and Afghanistan war efforts to $1 trillion.

But lawmakers in both parties are using President Obama's war funding request to advance unrelated pet initiatives like a $500 million administration request for border security and an Education Department request for a $23 billion teacher bailout.

In the House, Obama's original $63 billion request for war funding, disaster relief and aid to nations like earthquake-ravaged Haiti and war-torn Afghanistan has swelled to $84 billion under a draft measure being readied for a key panel vote on Thursday.

Democrats such as House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., are pushing $23 billion to help school districts avoid teacher layoffs, along with $6 billion to make up for a funding shortfall in Pell grants for low-income college students and lesser amounts to hire border patrol agents and help Mexico fight drug cartels.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are using a sleaker $58.8 billion version of Obama's war funding bill to try to add billions of dollars to boost security along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Since the war funding measure is the only appropriations bill likely to pass before fall, it's being eyed by lawmakers in both parties seeking to deal now with violence along the southern border, the Gulf oil spill disaster and a variety of domestic programs. But the pressure for more spending is running into resistance from lawmakers worried about out-of-control deficits and Congress' reputation for extravagant spending.

"Ninety-eight percent of this bill doesn't meet the requirements of being an emergency designation," said Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who along with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., are offering amendments to pay for the war funding bill.

Coburn said the bill is being described as an "emergency" to use the federal credit card rather than finding a way to budget for the expenses.

"We are going to borrow it from the children of the people who are in Afghanistan and Iraq who are fighting this war," he said."We can always rationalize away the ability to make hard choices. That is what we are doing."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may not allow any votes on amendments in his quest to get the measure passed before the Memorial Day recess. Coburn says he intends to keep up his filibuster, and calls Reid an "obstructionist" for not allowing votes on amendments -- a label often used by Reid and other Democrats for Republicans.

The Senate measure, currently being debated on the floor, blends about $30 billion for Obama's 30,000-troop surge in Afghanistan with more than $5 billion to replenish disaster aid accounts, as well as funding for Haitian earthquake relief, and a down payment on aid to flood-drenched Tennessee and Rhode Island.

Because of the need to attract GOP votes, Democrats have kept the Senate bill fairly "clean," at least as emergency spending bills go. The measure comes in under Obama's requests and won unanimous support from the Appropriations panel this month.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is just one of several Republicans seeking to add money for border security. He's offered a $2 billion amendment to award grants to state and local law enforcement agencies, provide new unmanned surveillance aircraft, and hire hundreds of immigration and border agents, among other steps.

McCain offered an amendment to provide $250 million to send 6,000 National Guard troops to the Mexican border. Democrats will consider countering with a proposal of their own in the wake of a White House announcement that Obama would seek $500 million to send 1,200 guardsmen to the border and take other border security steps.

Lawmakers also have loaded up a separate bill that originally was intended to extend expired tax breaks and provide expanded unemployment benefits through the end of the year. The bill has grown into a nearly $200 billion grab bag of unfinished business that lawmakers hope to complete before Memorial Day.

The bill includes $1 billion for summer jobs programs, $1.5 billion in aid to farmers who had crops damaged by natural disasters and $4.6 billion to settle two long-running lawsuits against the government, one by black farmers claiming discrimination and one by American Indians over the government's management of their land.

In all, the bill would add $134 billion to the federal budget deficit, drawing opposition from Republicans and some Democrats. House leaders said Tuesday they were determined to pass the bill this week to avoid allowing jobless benefits to expire for thousands of people.

But the measure has been delayed while House leaders round up support, which could mean the Senate might have too little time to act before next week's Memorial Day recess.

Fox News' Trish Turner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
*MySmiley*
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US Debt Hits $13T - But Spending Spree in DC Continues..... - 26/05/2010 05:09:48 PM 919 Views
Look who finally remembered they oppose federal deficits. - 26/05/2010 05:26:30 PM 542 Views
Silly Joel.....please find the posts where I supported GWB's deficit spending. - 26/05/2010 05:35:13 PM 599 Views
hmmm - 26/05/2010 05:40:49 PM 538 Views
I thought overthrowing Saddam was fine.....and it worked out very well. - 26/05/2010 06:37:31 PM 508 Views
I'll take what comfort I can from this. - 26/05/2010 06:45:53 PM 599 Views
"They" plural. - 26/05/2010 05:45:48 PM 763 Views
you are so full of crap - 26/05/2010 05:59:47 PM 561 Views
Oh, they weren't silent; they were quite vocal in their endorsement of the Iraq war. - 26/05/2010 06:03:51 PM 805 Views
more ranting doesn't support your argument - 26/05/2010 06:17:22 PM 721 Views
I'll respond to the coherent part of that. - 26/05/2010 06:30:07 PM 735 Views
I wish ... - 26/05/2010 06:57:30 PM 708 Views
Is the NYT any better pieces slandering McCain and his wife before an election? - 26/05/2010 07:16:58 PM 573 Views
I don't know those articles specifically. - 26/05/2010 08:27:44 PM 643 Views
These days I typically just say, "Fox. " - 27/05/2010 03:48:40 PM 746 Views
You mean you will repsond to part that you like and ignore the part you don't because of a typo - 26/05/2010 07:18:03 PM 679 Views
Actually, I think it was a pretty thorough response. - 27/05/2010 03:57:55 PM 721 Views
then let me make is simpler - 27/05/2010 07:23:19 PM 730 Views
I'll give Joel a little hand here... - 26/05/2010 09:14:27 PM 745 Views
commas are so over rated - 26/05/2010 10:50:57 PM 542 Views
I find this image to describe the deficits pretty useful - 27/05/2010 01:56:29 AM 512 Views
Here is the problem with this kind of reporting... - 27/05/2010 07:12:34 AM 645 Views
Correct - 27/05/2010 02:11:47 PM 507 Views
The problem with that kind of logic is it is wrong - 27/05/2010 02:19:37 PM 531 Views
Yes, that would be wrong. - 27/05/2010 03:35:30 PM 549 Views
Based on Obama's budget, he will add more to the debt over the next 10 years..... - 27/05/2010 04:10:45 PM 466 Views
Increasing the debt is a problem, yes. - 27/05/2010 07:55:04 PM 840 Views
At least we agree that you are wrong because that is what you said - 27/05/2010 06:50:43 PM 498 Views
And where does the rest of the money come from? - 27/05/2010 08:12:31 PM 638 Views
No, that's for the entire Department of Defense. - 27/05/2010 08:25:28 PM 540 Views
using those numbers the war appears to be about half a drop in the bucket *NM* - 27/05/2010 08:37:31 PM 289 Views
I wouldn't call it a drop in the bucket... - 27/05/2010 09:03:43 PM 750 Views
yeah I was just being a smart ass - 27/05/2010 11:09:37 PM 753 Views
Re: And where does the rest of the money come from? - 27/05/2010 10:58:59 PM 644 Views
I interpreted it as saying... - 27/05/2010 02:22:13 PM 1003 Views
Hmmm... - 27/05/2010 03:41:15 PM 566 Views

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