On the other hand, Republicans have voted to expand existing entitlements and to create new ones. House Budget Committee Chairman John Kasich, valiantly defends the Republican budget record by showing that total federal spending as a share of national output is falling, and is expected to continue to fall over the next five years to its lowest level since the mid-1970s. But again, this progress occurs exclusively because of a continuing sharp decline in military spending. Domestic spending has actually grown at a slightly faster pace than the U.S. economy over the past three years. Many areas of the budget that Republicans once sought to cut or eliminate are now actually expanding.
Republicans also refuse to end the scam of foreign aid.
In March, House International Relations Committee chairman Ben Gilman convened a hearing on the future of foreign aid. Seven of eight witnesses selected to testify argued in favor of more funding. The story is the same when it comes to federal subsidies to corporations. Republicans clearly have had important achievements, not least of which has been forcing both parties to commit to a balanced budget. The problem is not that Congress cannot cut spending, it is that it will not.