Report: Reid's Budget Cuts Largely Illusory

Claims by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, R-Nev., that Democrats have already proposed $41 billion in budget cuts are “disingenuous and not very truthful.” Reid is playing with figures to arrive at cuts that “are largely illusory,” The Washington Post reports.

Reid said, “We’ve already proposed $41 billion in cuts. So for the Republicans to say we're not cutting anything, they're being disingenuous and unfair and really not very truthful." Reid was attempting to reframe the budget cutting debate by asserting there wasn’t much difference between Democratic cuts and the $61 billion in cuts made by House Republicans, the Post said in fact checking the assertion.

Reid is basing his figure on President Barack Obama’s budget that was proposed last year and never enacted. “Or, to put it another way he’s talking about cutting spending that never happened,” the Post said.

House Republicans who claim they’ve cut $100 billion from the budget are playing the same game. “The GOP may play the same games to bump up their figures, but two wrongs don't make a right -- and certainly the GOP can claim most of their cuts are real.” The Post awarded Reid two Pinocchios for “significant omissions and/or exaggerations.”