A GOP “Young Gun” who ousted a longtime Democratic incumbent in 2010 stole the show on the House floor last night by offering President Obama’s budget as an amendment to the Republicans’ budget plan.
It failed 414-0, with left and right uniting against the amendment even as Democrats’ lambasted Rep. Mick Mulvaney’s (R-S.C.) move as a “gimmick.”
“It occurred to me the President’s budget had not been offered as an amendment by the Democrat members of the House budget committee,” Mulvaney said on the House floor. “And that as we were getting information about which amendments were being offered here today on the floor as amendments to the overall GOP budget, it occurred to me again that the same oversight had taken place. Clearly, it must be oversight. Clearly, my colleagues meant to offer the president’s budget.”
“I thought I’d help my colleagues across the aisle out a little bit and offer the President’s budget. Which is exactly what this amendment is,” he continued. “The budget that the president offered and that is contained in this amendment never balances. It is a balanced approach to reach a never-balancing budget.”
It comes on the heels of Senate Republicans forcing a vote on Obama’s budget last year, which got zero “yea” votes.
Mulvaney’s amendment used Obama’s target numbers without specifics on how to get there, thus causing the mass Democratic exodus.
He dismissed charges that the move was a gimmick.
“It’s not a gimmick– unless what the president sent us is the same,” Mulvaney said. “We are voting on the president’s budget. I would encourage the Democrats to embrace this landmark Democrat document and support it.”
“Personally,” he added, “I will be voting against it.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SEJy1a6p5A
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