I: Discretionary Spending Cuts

Enact tough discretionary spending caps to force budget discipline in Congress.

Other Information:

Include enforcement mechanisms to give the limits real teeth. Make significant cuts in both security and non-security spending by cutting low-priority programs and streamlining government operations. Offer over $50 billion in immediate cuts to lead by example, and provide $200 billion in illustrative 2015 savings. Discretionary Spending Cuts -- Over the past decade, base discretionary spending (excluding war costs) has grown by 34 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars (64 percent in nominal dollars), and the President’s Fiscal Year 2011budget projects it to grow by an additional 6 percent to $1.26 trillion in 2015. In order to bring down the deficit, Washington will have to rein in discretionary spending. Every aspect of the discretionary budget must be scrutinized, no agency can be off limits, and no program that spends too much or achieves too little can be spared. The federal government can and must adapt to the 21st century by transforming itself into a leaner and more efficient operation. Like its citizens, government must also be willing to do more with less and live within its means. As the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, has noted, the most significant threat to our national security is our debt. The ability of the United States to keep our country secure over time depends on restoring fiscal restraint today. Any serious attempt to reduce the deficit will require deliberate, planned reductions in both domestic and defense spending. The government will not be able to protect those in need or invest to achieve our nation’s long-term potential growth if Washington squanders taxpayer dollars on duplicative programs with no measurable results. In the 1990s, discretionary spending caps played a large role in bringing the budget into balance. By establishing formidable boundaries to guide spending in future years, Congress and the Administration will be forced to eliminate waste and excess in bloated agency budgets, better target funding toward programs that demonstrate real results, and reduce duplication throughout the federal bureaucracy. The spending path recommended by the Commission is more than simply numbers on a page. It is a vision for our future reflecting the values and priorities of the American people. We must continue to invest in our future, but must not undermine those investments by leaving generations yet to come with a debt they cannot repay. The Commission’s spending limits will necessitate a more efficient government that invests wisely, spends Americans’ precious tax dollars well, and is transparent and accountable for every dime.

Stakeholder(s):

• Congress

Objective(s):

1.1: Spending Cap

1.2: Spending Cuts

1.3: Cap Enforcement

1.4: War Spending Limits

1.5: Disaster Fund

1.6: Emergency Spending

1.7: Transportation Trust Fund

1.8: Agency Savings

1.9: Cut-and-Invest Committee

1.10: Immediate Reforms

1.10.1: Congress and White House

1.10.2: Congressional Pay

1.10.3: Civil Employee Pay

1.10.4: Federal Workforce

1.10.5: Travel, Printing, and Vehicles

1.10.6: Excess Property

1.10.7: Earmarks

1.11: Additional Cuts

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