Thursday, May 17, 2018

Trump's Rescission Request a Much-Needed First Step to Restoring Budget Sanity

If we do not find the will to reduce federal spending ourselves now, at some point economic reality will force us to do so in a much more painful manner later.

That is why this week's White House request for 38 spending rescissions totaling $15 billion in rescinded spending is such a welcome first step to bringing our out-of-control spending habit back in line.

A provision of the Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, the rescission process established a set of rules that make it easier for the president and Congress to reduce previously appropriated federal spending.

First, the president must submit a rescission request to Congress, then the relevant committees have 25 days to act on the request before any member can discharge the request and force a floor vote.

Rescission motions are considered "Privileged" in the Senate, so both chambers can pass a rescission package by a simple majority.

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan used this process to request 133 separate rescissions to cut more than $15 billion in federal spending.

The rescission process has fallen out of use in recent years, with President Bill Clinton making just three rescission requests in 2000 for just $128 million.

https://www.dailysignal.com/2018/05/16/trumps-rescission-request-a-much-needed-first-step-to-restoring-budget-sanity/

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