House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday proposed some $39 billion in federal spending cuts for this year alone. Democrats mulled over the offer, and some compromise may or may not be reached to keep the government from shutting down. But for a man so concerned with trimming the fat, Boehner also has literally no idea how much it’s going to cost to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court, which his House cronies decided to do last month. “I do not have an estimate,” Boehner told reporters yesterday. But cost isn’t the issue!
“[W]e were placed in a position where we were in effect allowing the administration to determine the constitutionality of a bill that passed the United States Congress because they were unwilling to defend it,” he continued. “I don’t think the House had any choice but to take the position that we were going to defend the work that the Congress — and only the courts are in the position of determining the constitutionality of any bill.”
So maybe Boehner will save taxpayers just slightly less than $39 billion.
Devon
“Fiscal responsibility, limited government, no more spendi…What’s that, gays want to get married? SHIT SON, MAKE IT RAIN, MONEY IS NO OBJECT.”
Luke
Turns out that this is bullshit. Federal judges do their own exploration. So even if no one actually stepped up to defend the thing (instead of the multiple outside groups writing briefs), it wouldn’t be a forgone conclusion that the law would be overturned.
Drake
Isn’t Boehner due for a good cry when this is all over?
reason
Democrats already accepted the 39 billion, the fight is not over money, it is over social issues that the GOP has tacked on to the bill. This is just a prelude of what would happen if they gained anymore power, it would be the end of days for GBLT. The GOP never carried about jobs, it was about pushing their social agenda and economic agenda for their pals. The public has been fooled by crafty republicans in the past, but to fall for the antics of dirty thugs like the tea party? The republicans spent wildly driving the country into a deep recession spending over two trillion of borrowed money on tax cuts for the wealthy and one needless war, then they get to make a stink about debt and cut all the programs that the dems created to help the people. There is only one winner here, that is the greedy. Was the few thousand dollars in taxes if even that for most Americans in extra tax returns worth the value lost in investments, home equity, and other assets? Is the assault on women, gblt, and hard working Americans worth it? The people at the top of the table got richer, the upper middle class and lower got poorer, if you want to talk about income redistribution.
Soupy
Ever since Obama imposed a 10% tax on tanning beds and spray on tans, the boner has been crying. Still, the orange doesn’t run, and he’s finding some way to deduct on his income tax.