And Next Week It's A New House

[Annie]

As it looks right now, changes on the way:


Dems rip proposed rule giving new power to GOP Budget chairman - The Hill's On The Money

Dems rip proposed rule giving new power to GOP Budget chairman
By Erik Wasson - 12/30/10 05:23 PM ET

A proposed House rule granting new powers to the GOP chairman of the Budget Committee has sparked outrage from Democrats.

The proposed rule would allow the Budget Committee chairman to set spending ceilings for 2011 without a vote by the full House. By approving the rules package, the House would give authority to the new Budget panel chairman to set budget ceilings at a later time and his decision would not be subject to an up-or-down vote on the floor.

In practice, this would give power to Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the incoming chairman of the panel, to impose deep spending cuts since spending bills cannot exceed the budget ceiling for the 2011 fiscal year.

The House is set to vote on the rule soon after it convenes on Jan. 5.

Democrats argue the provision would give unilateral power to Ryan and flies in the face of GOP promises of transparency.

"Allowing incoming Chairman Ryan to have unilateral power to set spending limits — instead of subjecting those limits to a vote on the floor of the House — flies in the face of promises by House Republicans to have the most transparent and honest Congress in history,” said Doug Thornell, spokesman for incoming House Budget Committee ranking member Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), in an e-mailed statement...

The House referred to in this thread, was not the 'new House' but the old.

Time will tell if the new House is overplaying its hand. Right now it seems they are hearing the people want spending brought under control.