Buffoon of the Week Staff
The time for talking is over. With the recent news that the Trump White House plans to send the first of many rescission packages early next week targeting wasteful discretionary spending identified by the Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) we turn to a fundamental issue: does the GOP have the… testicular fortitude to bring these packages across the finish line?
What is a Rescission Package?
This might get a bit wonky.
According to Stephen Miller, in order to permanently cut discretionary spending like those wasteful measures which DOGE identified for the past few months of the Trump administration, Congress must pass legislation separate and apart from a typical budgetary reconciliation bill. Instead, Congress has to pass a separate rescission bill or an appropriations bill.
OMB Director Russ Vought announced on Fox Business this week that the Trump administration will deliver its first round of DOGE-related rescission legislation to the House of Representatives early next week. The first package includes rescission to USAID, to funding for NPR and to funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The Path is Clear for The Rescissions
To be clear, there are no bureaucratic hurdles barring passage of any DOGE rescission package. Rescission bills like this that the President has proposed are considered by Congress under an expedited process. This means the legislation bypasses the filibuster in the Senate and passes with a simple majority vote (51 votes) instead of the normal 60-vote supermajority threshold. This expedited process, established by the Impoundment Control Act, allows for quicker consideration of the President’s proposals to cancel or reduce previously authorized spending.
While this assuages some of the concerns that the hosts on the show expressed with regards to the procedural hurdles to bypass that may have existed in the Senate, concerns about the GOP’s political will to act with authority remain.
Will The GOP Grow a Pair?
While some outrage from Republicans and conservatives online may have been misplaced, there remains a strong call for Republicans in Congress to “grow a spine” to make Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts permanent.
While Republican politicians like to make a strong case for financial conservatism, this seems like the time to act. If our growing deficit is indeed an “existential threat” as Republicans have historically framed their argument, then where’s the urgency?
While we recognize that the wheels of government grind slow, Republicans are not inspiring confidence in those who want to actually believe in reigning in government spending. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Thune need to get out there in media with a full-throated endorsement of the President’s rescission packages to prove that the work of Elon Musk and DOGE was not just a show.
While the GOP’s problems are not as dire as the Democratic party’s, which we discussed yesterday, GOP leaders must immediately address all problems of perception that they are weak if they want to gain the trust of the electorate that took a chance and voted them back into power.
And the best way for the GOP to change that perception is to get to work.
Tell us what you think about this topic: Will the GOP answer the moment? Or, will they fold under pressure? Get int our comments, and don’t forget to subscribe to our original video content on YouTube, on Rumble and on X.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings