Libertarian Ron Paul, who caucuses with the Republicans in Congress, criticized the Republicans push this week to defund NPR – National Public Radio. He said that Republicans would be satisfied with $10 million savings, which would do nothing for the budget, but will allow them to “go home and brag about how they’re such great fiscal conservatives.”
“There’s a serious question of whether [eliminating NPR funding] will even cut one penny, but at least the fiscal conservatives are going to be overwhelmingly in support of slashing NPR, go home and brag about how they’re such great fiscal conservatives.”
“The very most they might save is $10 million. That’s their claim to fame for slashing the budget. At the same time they won’t consider for minute cutting a real significant amount of money.”
Republicans have promised their Teaparty members that they will cut over $60 billion from the budget. They have proposed cuts in areas like nutrition for infants and pregnant women. Economists from both political sides of the aisle have predicted that if these cuts go through, the American people will suffer.
Zandi, an architect of the 2009 stimulus package who has advised both political parties, predicts that the GOP package would reduce economic growth by 0.5 percentage points this year, and by 0.2 percentage points in 2012, resulting in 700,000 fewer jobs by the end of next year.
Ron Paul said it best – what these Republicans are doing is just for bragging rights.
