Republican House Passes Budget Bill To Screw America Because Screw You, America!

It was just a week ago that House Republicans introduced their latest scheme to screw America, which they charmingly call the Balanced Budget for a Stronger America. It would not actually balance the budget (unless you do some fancy magic "math" to it, which does not work in the real world, sorry) nor does it make America stronger, but come ON, it's got a nice-sounding name, isn't that enough?

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Itwouldprivatize Medicare, repeal the Affordable Care Act, slash funding for food stamps and financial aid for college students, deregulate Wall Street, and tell the CIA and the Department of Defense not to bother with "climate change" research because that's a waste of money that could be better spent on MORE WAR.

Democrats have already said "Not in a million years!" so of course House Republicans passed the bill anyway on Wednesday night:

House Republicans adopted a 2016 budget in a 228-199 vote on Wednesday that represents a major victory for GOP leaders after a rocky start to their year.

The budget would increase defense spending next year by boosting the Pentagon’s war fund to $96 billion, well above President Obama’s $58 billion request. [...]

Only 17 Republicans voted against the budget, a slight bump from the 12 who voted against last year’s budget. Every House Democrat present voted against it.

So why would Republicans waste time passing a budget that will never get signed into law? Principles, of course!

“It’s important that you have the opportunity to put on the president’s desk a bill to repeal ObamaCare and replace it. That puts it front and center for the presidential campaign,” said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus.

Given that President Obama has been on a Gloat So Hard victory lap touting the exceeding-all-expectations success of Obamacare, we are skeptical that he will sign a bill to repeal it.

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Sure, hecould. Just like Republicanscoulddecide that after nearly 60 attempts, maybe they should just give up on that whole repeal fantasy. Let's check in with the White House to see if the administration is considering supporting this ridiculous budget:

This evening the House Republicans made clear that once again their priority is to cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires and return our economy to the same top-down economics that has failed the American people before. [...]

The President has been clear that he will not accept a budget that locks in sequestration or one that increases funding for our national security without providing matching increases in funding for our economic security. The Administration will continue to abide by these principles moving forward.

So that's a no then, huh?

Here's a tasty morsel, though, for those who enjoy watching the Great GOP Civil War of Oh-15 (that's all of us, right?): The fresh new House Freedom Caucus -- a group of uber conservative splitters who thought the House's previously most uber conservative group, the Republican Study Committee, was not quite uber-super-duper conservative enough -- is already having some family feuding with itself. These extra-crispy wignuts figured if they banded together, they could force Speaker John Boehner to do their bidding, like shutting down the Department of Homeland Security unless its funding bill included an Obama Really Sucks Amendment. (That didn't work.)

The Freedom Caucus was expected to be a bloc of more than 30 conservatives who would vote together to pull GOP leadership to the right on fiscal matters. It flexed its muscle shortly after launching earlier this year, helping to torpedo a plan by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to fund the Homeland Security Department in late February.

But the group’s split on the budget signaled that the caucus won’t hang together and vote en bloc on every issue — a welcome development for Boehner and his leadership team as they prepare for upcoming fiscal battles to replenish a highway fund, renew the Export-Import Bank and raise the debt ceiling.

The group's chairman, the aforementioned Jim Jordan of Ohio, supported the budget, even though half a dozen of his fellow caucus co-founders voted against it. Oh no, is there dissension in the ranks already? And they had such big hopes for themselves. Bad news for the nihilist wing of the Republican Party, and that's not all.

"The budget’s not the only issue this week dividing the Freedom Caucus," The Hill reported. Maybe those six True Conservatives can form a brand new group of splitters to show those RINO Freedom Caucusers whatrealconservatism looks like. Please do so, fellas. (Yes, of course they are all fellas even though Republicans totally do not have a lady problem, wink.)

We do so enjoy watching you war with each other over absurd principles like when it is OK to shut down the government or jeopardize national security or exactly how hard to screw students and seniors and the middle-class. May we suggest a name for your new caucus? How about the People's Front of Even More Freedom? We don't think that one's taken. Yet.

[ The Hill / WhiteHouse.gov / The Hill again]