California Republican Says Cutting Government Spending Will Create Huge Job Losses

Someone Got Away From the Party Message

Writing in the Wall Street Journal Op/Ed pages, California Republican Buck McKeon, who is Chairman of the House Armed Service Committee laments the possible reduction in defense spending that would could probably won’t occur if the Deficit Reduction Committee fails to find common ground on reductions in government spending.  Mr. McKeon thinks that if Defense spending is reduced the U. S. will have catastrophic reductions in our fighting ability.

Such a drastic cut would force the Navy to mothball over 60 ships, including two of our precious 11 carrier battle groups, according to analysis by the Republican staff of the House Armed Services Committee. It would also force us to shed one-third of our Army maneuver battalions and Air Force fighter jets.

Mr. McKeon goes on to describe additional cuts that would take place, but the main point The Dismal Political Economist wants to make here is that Mr. McKeon recognizes that there would be severe economic results from a major cut in defense spending.



Two Faced Republicans on Government Spending
and Job Creation



And on the economic front, if the super committee fails to reach an agreement, its automatic cuts would kill upwards of 800,000 active-duty, civilian and industrial American jobs. This would inflate our unemployment rate by a full percentage point, close shipyards and assembly lines, and damage the industrial base that our warfighters need to stay fully supplied and equipped.

Wow, a Republican saying that government spending not only creates jobs, but that it creates a lot of jobs and that by cutting government spending the U. S. could lose 800,000 jobs and raise the unemployment rate by a full percentage point.  What a startling revelation!

Expect Rep. McKeon to be severely admonished by his fellow Republicans for daring to suggest that government spending is responsible for creating jobs, and that by cutting government spending employment would be reduced.  Or, as more likely, expect him to clarify his position by saying that yes, Defense spending does create jobs, but spending on infrastructure and social programs and education and the environment and energy management  and health care creates no jobs, and so those programs can be cut.

In fact cutting government spending is part of a jobs creation program by Republicans, as long as it is not cutting spending where they want to spend.