Sen. Mitch McConnell (Source: Jim Young/REUTERS)
Just as a reminder, let's review public spending priorities.
WASHINGTON — A majority of Americans prefer cutting defense spending to reduce the federal deficit rather than taking money from public retirement and health programs, a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday showed.
The poll found 51 percent of Americans support reducing defense spending, and only 28 percent want to cut Medicare and Medicaid health programs for the elderly and poor. A mere 18 percent back cuts in the Social Security retirement program.
Remember, that all told, the national defense bill for this fiscal year is $1.22 trillion (with a "tr"). That's a lot of spending!
Cue Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he won’t support any more temporary spending measures that do not include full-year funding for the military.
“I can say with total confidence that the House and Senate will not be passing another continuing resolution without defense spending for the rest of the year,” McConnell said during a colloquy Wednesday with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on the Senate floor....
“I don’t intend to support another continuing resolution that does not contain the full year defense appropriations bill,” said McConnell. “I think everyone understands the urgency of that.”
So much for across the board spending cuts. McConnell also says no debt increase without benefit cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. This is perhaps a showdown the Dems should be willing to have, given point number one—public sentiment.