The Dirty Job That Congress Won’t Do on Its Own

Ernest Istook / November 19, 2009

Congress needs someone like Mike Rowe to do the dirty job that politicians won’t touch.

Our $1.4-trillion (and rising!) annual deficit and $12-trillion accumulated debt are not caused by the economy. They’re caused by runaway spending.

Unable or unwilling to specify and enforce spending cuts on their own, some in Congress are calling for help by establishing a new commission that would both identify ways to cut back and force Congress to vote on it.

It’s not a substitute for the immediate self-discipline that lawmakers need, but it could help.

Blue Dogs in the U.S. House this week formally endorsed the idea, contained in HR 1557, authored by Rep. Jim Cooper (D, TN) and Rep. Frank Wolf (R, VA), with 100 total sponsors. As noted by Roll Call, “If House Republicans join with the Blue Dogs, they would have the votes to roll [House Speaker] Pelosi, who has long opposed the idea.” (more…)