GOP Appropriations Members Set to Slash Spending

The nine new Republican members of the House Appropriations Committee are getting ready to fulfill their campaign promises by cutting spending sharply and doing it soon. They tell The Hill that unspent stimulus money and the Obama healthcare reform bills rank high on the list for cuts. But they recommend a more cautious stance on defense spending.

“I think everything in the appropriations process needs to be put under review,” incoming freshman Alan Nunnelee, R-Miss., tells the news service. "However I do think that defense is an important function that government takes."

Unlike some congressmen, Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga., who was sworn into office in June, says he has no qualms about supporting the earmark moratorium. He wants to see $100 billion in immediate spending cuts before the government hits its $14 trillion debt limit in the spring.