[House Report 112-3]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
112th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session 112-3
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REDUCING NON-SECURITY SPENDING TO FISCAL YEAR 2008 LEVELS OR LESS
_______
January 19, 2011.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be
printed
_______
Mr. Dreier, from the Committee on Rules,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
together with
MINORITY VIEWS
[To accompany H. Res. 38]
The Committee on Rules, to whom was referred the resolution
(H. Res. 38) to reduce spending through a transition to non-
security spending at fiscal year 2008 levels, having considered
the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and
recommend that the resolution as amended be agreed to.
The amendments are as follows:
Strike all after the resolved clause and insert the
following:
That, pursuant to section 3(b)(1) of House Resolution 5, the
Chair of the Committee on the Budget shall include in the
Congressional Record an allocation contemplated by section
302(a) for the Committee on Appropriations for the remainder of
fiscal year 2011 that assumes non-security spending at fiscal
year 2008 levels or less.
Amend the title so as to read: ``A resolution reducing non-
security spending to fiscal year 2008 levels or less.''
PURPOSE AND SUMMARY
H. Res. 38 directs the Chairman of the Committee on the
Budget to include in the Congressional Record an allocation
under section 302(a) for the Committee on Appropriations for
the remainder of fiscal year 2011 that assumes non-security
spending at fiscal year 2008 levels or below.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
Over the past three years, non-security discretionary
spending has increased 88 percent. As a result, the U.S.
government borrows 41 cents of every dollar spent. In addition,
for the first time in 36 years the 111th Congress failed to
produce a budget resolution for fiscal year 2011. This means
that there are no budget guidelines in place for the Committee
on Appropriations to follow. It is critical at the start of the
112th Congress, as we move to address the country's massive
deficit and significant over-spending, that committees have
budgetary guidance in place.
This legislation will put this Congress on the path to
making more responsible spending proposals for the remainder of
fiscal year 2011.
HEARINGS
On January 19, 2011, the Committee on Rules held a hearing
on H. Res. 38 and received testimony from Mr. Van Hollen.
COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION
The Committee on Rules met on January 19, 2011 in open
session and ordered H. Res. 38 favorably reported to the House
as amended by a voice vote.
COMMITTEE VOTES
Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives requires the Committee to list the record votes
on the motion to report legislation and amendments thereto. A
motion by Mr. Sessions to report the bill as amended to the
House with a favorable recommendation was agreed to by a voice
vote. The Committee disposed of the following amendments by
record vote:
RULES COMMITTEE RECORD VOTE NO. 19
Motion by Mr. Scott to amend the resolution to clarify the spending reduction by striking the language relating
to a transition and providing that the levels can be 2008 levels or less. Agreed to: 8 yeas and 4 nays.
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Majority Members Vote Minority Members Vote
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Mr. Sessions........................ Yea............... Ms. Slaughter...................... Nay
Ms. Foxx............................ Yea............... Mr. McGovern....................... Nay
Mr. Bishop.......................... Yea............... Mr. Hastings (FL).................. Nay
Mr. Woodall......................... Yea............... Mr. Polis.......................... Nay
Mr. Nugent.......................... Yea............... ................................... .................
Mr. Scott........................... Yea............... ................................... .................
Mr. Webster......................... Yea............... ................................... .................
Mr. Dreier, Chairman................ Yea............... ................................... .................
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RULES COMMITTEE RECORD VOTE NO. 20
Motion by Mr. McGovern to add a new section to the resolution that would require a vote by the full House before
any 302(a) allocation inserted in the Congressional Record by the Chair of the Committee on the Budget becomes
effective. Not agreed to: 4 yeas and 8 nays.
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Majority Members Vote Minority Members Vote
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Mr. Sessions........................ Nay............... Ms. Slaughter...................... Yea
Ms. Foxx............................ Nay............... Mr. McGovern....................... Yea
Mr. Bishop.......................... Nay............... Mr. Hastings (FL).................. Yea
Mr. Woodall......................... Nay............... Mr. Polis.......................... Yea
Mr. Nugent.......................... Nay............... ................................... .................
Mr. Scott........................... Nay............... ................................... .................
Mr. Webster......................... Nay............... ................................... .................
Mr. Dreier, Chairman................ Nay............... ................................... .................
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COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the Committee made findings that are
reflected in this report.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE
In compliance with clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives, the Committee states, with
respect to H. Res. 38, that the Director of the Congressional
Budget Office did not submit a cost estimate and comparison
under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the Committee
finds that this measure does not authorize funding within the
meaning of the rule.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION
H. Res. 38 instructs the Chairman of the Committee on the
Budget to include in the Congressional Record an allocation
under section 302(a) for the Committee on Appropriations for
the remainder of fiscal year 2011 that assumes non-security
spending at fiscal year 2008 levels or less.
CHANGES MADE IN EXISTING HOUSE RULES BY H. RES. 38, AS REPORTED
In compliance with clause 3(g) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, the Committee finds that H. Res.
38 does not propose to repeal or amend a standing rule of the
House.
MINORITY VIEWS
On its face, H. Res. 38 appears to be a spending reduction
measure. However, upon closer reading it's clear that the
resolution is nothing but meaningless rhetoric. It is drafted
to appear to reduce spending to the Fiscal Year 2008 levels,
but that is not what this resolution accomplishes. Instead, it
gives one Member of the House--the Chairman of the Budget
Committee--the extraordinary authority to decide the cap for
us, without having to face a vote of the House. We are very
concerned about the precedent this authority sets, and believe
Members of the House deserve the opportunity to consider
specified spending levels, like the ones laid out in our budget
enforcement resolution (H. Res. 1493) in the 111th Congress.
H. Res. 38 says we should ``assume non-security spending at
fiscal year 2008 levels or less'' without defining ``non-
security'' spending or specifying exactly what those levels
might be. Many security-related programs fall within
appropriations bills that might be considered ``non-security,''
such as the Defense Nuclear Weapons Activities in the Energy
and Water Appropriations bill and FBI counterterrorism funding
in the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill. Without
more clarity, this resolution is so vaguely worded as to be
meaningless.
With so many Americans struggling to find jobs and put food
on the table, there is no excuse for spending the House's time
with resolutions accomplishing nothing, such as this one.
Without numbers or specifics, it is clear that H. Res. 38 is
not a serious plan to reduce the deficit. We oppose this
resolution and urge the Majority to simply reveal the spending
caps--rather than pointing at imprecise rhetoric and labeling
it a spending cut--and allow the House to take a direct vote on
those caps.
Louise M. Slaughter.
Jim McGovern.
Alcee L. Hastings.
Jared Polis.