Did you miss last week's issue of NTUF's Taxpayer's Tab? If so, here's a quick recap.
Super Committee Analysis: The 12-member Congressional "Super Committee" charged with cutting $1.5 trillion from the federal budget over the next decade has been announced. An analysis by NTUF shows just how different their views are on spending programs. An examination of NTUF's BillTally data for each of the 12 panel members highlights individual legislative agendas whose impact on the budget would vary widely.
Among NTUF's findings is that Super Committee appointees sponsored or cosponsored 18 non-overlapping bills whose gross savings (not accounting for any spending-increase bills they supported) added up to $89.6 billion a year. None of these 18 pieces of legislation have bipartisan support among the Super Committee Members, but three of those proposals have been introduced in both chambers and have the backing of GOP Senators and Representatives on the panel. The savings of these three "common bills" are estimated at $41.3 billion total.
Other Tab highlights include: H.R. 2000, Secure America Through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act. Introduced by Congressman Heath Shuler (NC-11), the SAVE Act would bolster immigration enforcement increasing the number of border patrol agents at the borders, authorize 70 new law enforcement officers who would operate on federal lands and in Department of Interior jurisdictions, and mandate the use of the E-Verify system. NTUF estimates that H.R. 2000 would result in more than $10 billion in new federal spending over the next five years. New verification costs constitute the most significant bulk of the new spending. The SAVE Act is the "Most Expensive Bill of the Week."
Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-49) introduced H.R. 2114, to reduce the federal workforce by 10 percent. Its $63.75 billion savings over five years makes it the "Least Expensive Bill of the Week." The "Most Friended" bill is H.R. 2152/S. 1086, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Act. While the "Wild Card" is H.R. 1879/S. 980, United States Ferry Systems Investment Act of 2011.
For more details, including NTUF's preliminary cost estimates for each of these bills, read the entire Taxpayer's Tab online.
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