Boehner: Spending Cuts Will Foster Economic Growth

House Speaker Jon Boehner (R-Ohio) says the spending cuts included in a bill to fund the government through the rest of the current fiscal year are just the beginning.

In an op-ed for Politico, Boehner said that after the House passes its final CR of the year later today, it will move on to a 2012 budget crafted by Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) which aims to reduce the country’s deficit by roughly $4.4 trillion over the next decade.

“The spending cut agreement to be voted on today isn’t perfect – not by a long shot. But it’s an important step toward getting Washington spending under control and eliminating some of the barriers that are hurting job growth,” Boehner wrote.

The 2011 funding extension, agreed to by lawmakers and White House officials late last Friday, trims current spending levels by $40 billion this year, though most of the savings would come in the form of recessions and the cancellation of earmarks. It cuts overall discretionary spending by roughly $14 billion and increases the defense budget by $5 billion. In addition, it reauthorizes a scholarship program for D.C. high schoolers and prevents the District from using its local tax revenue to fund needle exchange programs and abortions.

Both Republicans and Democrats have been quick to note that the spending bill actually cuts $78 billion from President Obama’s 2011 budget request, which was never enacted.

Though it’s expected that some lawmakers on both sides will vote against the funding measure, it is still likely to pass through both chambers.