By Pranav Sehgal
Opinions Editor
With an increasingly large deficit looming, House Republicans unveiled their long-term budget proposal to cut $5.8 trillion from spending over 10 years.
The plan, primarily drafted by Wisconsin Republican Representative Paul D. Ryan, who is the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, proposes to limit federal spending and change major federal health programs, but to also cut taxes for corporations and individuals to 25 percent.
President Obama has argued against this plan, as he believes it will lead to a public backlash. Recently, Republicans offered a one-week extension to the budget at a price of $12 billion in immediate spending cuts. “I can’t have my agencies making plans on two-week budgets,” President Obama said in response.
If something is not done over this budget deal a partial shutdown of the federal government is likely to happen as early as this upcoming Saturday.
In response to the deep and far-reaching budget cuts that the Republicans are hoping to implement, Senator Charles Schumer of New York is calling for Republicans to accept his $33 billion budget cut, which would leave the government open all year.
Republicans argue that their proposal would reduce the size of the federal government by 20 percent by 2015. In the plan laid out, Republicans intend to eliminate hundreds of “wasteful” government programs and temporarily ban spending by members of Congress that is already in place. Democrats argue that this plan is more detrimental than beneficial because it will cut benefits and programs for the nation’s retirees and the neediest of Americans while protecting wealthy corporations and individuals.
Because Democrats control the Senate, this proposal is unlikely to be adopted; if Republicans gain control it will surely be a blueprint for their economic policy.
I believe that it is essential for the government to do something about the deficit, but I also believe that there must be some semblance of balance in the budget.
Millions depend on government programs for assistance, and to get rid of those programs would be a great injustice. Programs like Medicaid that provide health care programs for the elderly and the poor are benefits that we cannot deny to Americans because not only is it against our American principles but it is also immoral to the highest degree.