Ron DeSantis has Problems With Murray-Ryan Budget Deal

Sounds like U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., will vote against the federal budget deal crafted by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. DeSantis posted his problems with the agreement on Facebook on Thursday:

1. The deal increases spending over the next two years by $64 billion. This is over and above the spending limits previously agreed upon in the 2011 Budget Control Act. Current law mandates discretionary spending levels at $967 billion and $995 billion for fiscal year 14 and fisclal year respectively; Ryan-Murray overrides these provisions of law and authorizes spending of $1.012 trillion (fiscal year 14) and $1.014 trillion (fiscal year 15).

2. Because of these spending increases, the deal increases the deficit by $56 billion over the next two years.

3. The deal targets 55 percent of the spending reductions for fiscal years 2022 and 2023. In other words, it trades increased spending today for promises of future spending reductions but future Congresses will not be bound by those caps, just as this Congress is overriding the spending caps from the 2011 BCA.

4. The deal includes an increase in the airline ticket security surcharge fee. The purpose seems to be to generate revenue to defray the additional spending authorized; it does not seem like it will be used to reduce the deficit.

5. The deal contains a host of needed but modest spending reforms, including recovering overpayments for unemployment insurance, limiting Medicaid third-party liability, reducing fraudulent tax refunds, and stemming improper payments to prison inmates. This is all good, but these are things that could be done as standalone bills; by incorporating them into this budget deal, they can be used to mask some of the increases in spending.

6. The deal requires federal employees hired starting in 2014 to contribute 4.4 percent of their pay towards their retirement plan, with the taxpayers funding the other 8.3 percent of the cost of the program. This is still much more generous than the typical private sector employee, but is substantially more than .8 percent of pay that federal employees hired prior to 2013 are required to pay. This does not affect any current or retired federal civilian employee.

7. The deal lowers by 1 percent the cost-of-living increases provided to all military retirees under the age of 62. So veterans who have served 20 or more years but who have not reached the age of 62 will be affected by this provision. To me, it is unfair to military retirees to change their benefits while not touching the benefits of any federal civilian worker, active or retired.

8. The deal makes a procedural change that will allow the Senate to pass tax increases more easily. This is very much in the weeds, but it eliminates the ability for a senator to raise a point of order when there is an attempt to pay for increased spending with increased taxes. This basically means that the threshold for using to tax increases to fuel higher spending is 50 votes, not 60 votes.