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by Stephen Moore and James Carter
April 11, 2018
The White House is seriously considering a strategy to cancel tens of billions of dollars of wasteful spending in the $1.3 trillion budget signed by President Donald Trump last month.
It’s a great idea, and Republicans should welcome a high-stakes budget showdown with congressional Democrats, given the unpopularity of the omnibus budget. Trump has a potent tool at his disposal to not spend money.
It is called rescission authority — a power created by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974.
Here’s how it works: The president submits a proposal to cancel unnecessary funds. Both chambers of Congress must affirmatively agree to the proposal within 45 days; otherwise, the funds must be spent as appropriated. Because rescission requires affirmative consent from Congress, the House or Senate can ignore the request without a vote.
Ronald Reagan used rescissions to save billions of dollars. Over his eight years in office, Reagan proposed 596 rescissions, totaling $43 billion. Congress ultimately approved 213 of Reagan’s rescissions, for a savings of $16 billion — or roughly $34 billion after adjusting for inflation.
Sadly, in the years since Reagan left office, Congress has approved less than $6 billion worth of additional rescissions. According to the Government Accountability Office, no president has submitted a rescission proposal since fiscal 2000, and Congress hasn’t approved one since fiscal 1999.
Trump should revive the rescission process.
The beauty of this approach is that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who demanded much of this extra spending, would not be able to stop a rescission, as long as Republicans stood together. Our research on the fine print of the law shows that the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 limits debate in the Senate “on any rescission bill or impoundment resolution, and all amendments thereto (in the case of a rescission bill) and debatable motions and appeals in connection therewith … to not more than 10 hours.”
This means that Schumer and the Democrats could delay a vote on a rescission but couldn’t prevent it. At some point, the debate would end, and the Senate can approve a rescission bill with 51 votes. That’s how many votes Republicans now have.
But would Republicans stick together? Some Senate GOP appropriators are nervous about revisiting the budget — ugly as it is. Many of them like all the extra pork just as much as Democrats do. Schumer is screaming that this would break the budget deal they reached earlier this year with Trump. Yes, a budget deal to break the bank!
Trump could use the rescission to save hundreds of billions of dollars on wasteful urban transit projects with few actual riders. He could also cancel spending for the Gateway Tunnel in New York City — a tunnel so expensive that New Yorkers who might actual use it have announced they have no interest in paying for it themselves.
This would also set up an excruciatingly tough vote for vulnerable Senate Democrats in West Virginia, Indiana, Montana and North Dakota — all of whom tell their voters they are fiscal conservative debt hawks. Well, we will see.
For Trump to win here, he would have to do what Reagan did: take his case for fiscal solvency directly to the American people. Voters are fully aware of the dangers of a $21 trillion national debt that grows by $1 trillion every year. There’s little downside in running against the spendaholics in Congress. If the big spenders in Congress vote to save the pork and the waste, he can make an even stronger case to the American people as to why the president must have a line-item veto.
— The President’s Trump Card for Spending Restraint originally appeared at Rasmussen Reports. Stephen Moore is a senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation and an economic consultant with FreedomWorks. He was a senior economic adviser to the Trump campaign. James Carter served as the head of tax policy implementation on President Trump’s transition team. Previously, he was a deputy assistant secretary of the treasury and served on the staff of the Senate Budget Committee.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
The future of technology is the future of America. Rod Martin sees that future clearly, and also sees how to shape it for the betterment of all. He is firmly rooted in the traditions of faith and patriotism that have made America great. That’s why he has made, and will make, so many outstanding contributions in so many areas.
