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This week the Journal’s Kim Strassel wrote that “Republicans finally must grapple with an ugly truth within the party of “limited government”: Most of them don’t want to cut spending on anything.” Yes, it can be rather shocking for idealistic new GOP congressional staff to get a peek backstage and learn how few elected Republicans actually want government to be smaller. Now the whole country will see what happens as the time has arrived for GOP lawmakers to enact some modest budget restraint as part of their budget
reconciliation bill that includes tax restraint. Ms. Strassel advised readers to “watch for weeks of headlines about internal fights over how to squeeze a dollar here and fiddle an account there.” Friday’s release of a White House budget proposal is generating an interesting response on Capitol Hill. “Trump budget plan draws pushback from key Senate Republicans,” says a Washington Post headline. The Post reports: At least three key Senate Republicans are criticizing President Donald Trump’s budget proposal, arguing it does not do enough to support the military. The White House proposal, which was released Friday, sets aside $1 trillion for the Pentagon, a 13 percent increase. But it assumes $119.3 billion of that will come from the “one big beautiful” bill that Republican lawmakers are working on to deliver on Trump’s legislative priorities, including defense. Those voicing concerns with that approach included Sen. Roger Wicker (Mississippi), chairman of the Armed Services Committee; Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee; and Sen. Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), the former Republican leader. But why are they voicing concerns? As White House budget director Russell Vought notes in a letter to Sen. Collins, adding defense funding via the reconciliation bill, which can be passed with only Republican votes, means Republicans don’t also have to increase social spending to assuage Democrats:
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