by hilzoy
Suddenly, the Republicans have decided that all new spending has to be paid for in budget cuts. So what new spending have they decided to delay? From Reuters, via Effect Measure:
"World health experts said they expected to see more human bird flu infections in China, even as the U.S. Congress stalled funding of President George W. Bush's plan to cope with a pandemic.China confirmed its first human deaths from the H5N1 avian flu virus, saying one person in Anhui province had died and another in Hunan province was suspected of having been killed by the H5N1 strain. A second person diagnosed with bird flu in Hunan had recovered. (...)
Indonesia also announced two more deaths on Thursday, bringing the total to seven, the Health Ministry said Thursday. Four others have survived. WHO has urged all countries to come up with plans for tackling a pandemic of bird flu, but U.S. efforts stalled on Thursday when Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives refused to approve funding for Bush's $7.1 billion plan.
After days of intensive talks between the House and Senate, negotiators dropped a plan for $8 billion in funds that Democrats pushed through the Senate last month. Conservative Republicans in the House insisted that an emergency U.S. effort to stockpile vaccines and anti-viral drugs that could be effective against the deadly flu would have to be paid for by cutting other government programs.
Republican leaders in the House said that instead of attaching the bird flu money to a health and labor spending bill moving through Congress, they would try separate legislation later this year or early next year."
Gosh, this little exercise in pretend fiscal responsibility impresses me no end. With a pandemic possible, and the US already way behind in our preparations, putting this off is such a clever idea. Here's an even better one: I have noted, in earlier posts, that the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities has identified two taxes that are due to take effect this January. They would go almost exclusively to the wealthy: according to the CBPP, "97 percent of the tax cuts from these two measures go to the 3.7 percent of households that have incomes of over $200,000 a year." President Bush didn't even ask for them; Congress just decided to add them on to the 2001 budget, as a special extra present for the rich. And guess what? These tax cuts will cost us $35 billion dollars over five years. That's more than enough to pay for the flu program. So what about it, Speaker Hastert? Why not rescind these two tax cuts and use the money to prepare for avian flu?
That's more than enough to pay for the flu program. So what about it, Speaker Hastert? Why not rescind these two tax cuts and use the money to prepare for avian flu?
Because Tamiflu is the vaccine of Satan, and in 0.003% of projected observed results lead to cuddling. Dancing, even.
No, best to keep the economy purring by allowing Conrad Black to afford a better defence team.
Posted by: spartikus | November 19, 2005 at 01:35 AM
Or for that matter, simply reining in some of the other increases in spending approved in the latest rounds of gigantic pork spending. I prefer avian flu protection to useless bridges for Republican districts.
Posted by: dmbeaster | November 19, 2005 at 06:58 AM
The Repubs buddies, big Pharma, aren't interested in vaccines, so the Repubs aren't. Why do anything if you can't throw the business to a crony?
Posted by: Tim | November 19, 2005 at 08:32 AM
If anyone gets sick it's simply because they lacked the will to stay healthy.
Posted by: BSR | November 19, 2005 at 10:05 AM
What are they trying to hide by no longer releasing the M3 numbers?
Posted by: bob mcmanus | November 19, 2005 at 11:15 AM
NPR killed them on this Friday. About time. I needed a sunny day.
William Polley has a lengthy piece on M3 here: (nov 16)
http://www.williampolley.com/blog/
Posted by: calmo | November 19, 2005 at 01:34 PM
Polley added to my blogroll, along with Thoma, Rithholz, Altig, etc. Weird indeed are the laymen econoblog groupies.
Posted by: bob mcmanus | November 19, 2005 at 02:49 PM