Forum Post: Congress Reaches a Budget Deal and Conservatives Already Hate It

The proposal covers the rise in spending by increasing a few fees—TSA surcharges for example—and cuts in pensions for federal employees and military veterans, among other small changes.* The deal creates a little more than $20 billion in net deficit reduction, though those extra cuts won't come until 2022 and 2023. The agreement doesn't close any tax loopholes, as Democrats originally sought, nor does it extend long-term unemployment insurance. It's no grand bargain, just a puny accord meant to avoid the turmoil of October's shutdown.

Despite the limited aims of the deal, conservatives—both Tea Party members of the House and outside groups—began complaining before negotiators released the proposal. FreedomWorks denounced the concept behind such a deal on Tuesday. Heritage Action, the outreach arm of the conservative think tank, lambasted the early reports of a deal. The Wall Street Journal op-ed page hammered the "defense hawks and appropriators who want to break the annual spending caps in current law." A cohort of 18 of House Republicans wrote a letter calling on House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to ignore the potential deal and vote on a "clean" budget resolution. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/12/ryan-murray-budget-deal-congress-conservatives-revolt#correction