Incoming Republicans Salute Demise of Omnibus Spending Bill

Several incoming Republican House members were particularly pleased with the collapse of the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill in Congress last week. They will join the House Budget Committee and want to get government spending under control, The Hill reports.

In interviews with the political blog, six of the new committee members said they relish the chance to make President Barack Obama reduce federal spending quickly. “We have to take every opportunity to rein in runaway spending,” said Rep.-elect Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan. “It does give more leverage.”

The new Budget Committee members break from past Republican orthodoxy, holding that defense spending cuts must be added to the mix to slash the deficit. They also feel uneasy about raising the nation’s $14 trillion debt ceiling next spring, although some say they are leaning that way in fear of what a government debt default would do to the economy.