House GOP freshmen poised to push immediate spending cuts above leadership’s goals

Spokesmen for Boehner and Cantor reiterated that the cuts in the CR are just the first step, leading up to the budget proposal they’ll propose for the 2012 fiscal year starting in October.

“The Speaker has said there is no limit to the spending cuts we will consider. The initial goal is to cut spending to pre-bailout, pre-stimulus levels – but that will be the beginning, not the end, of our efforts to stop Washington’s spending binge and create jobs,” said Boehner spokesman Michael Steel.

Cantor spokesman Brad Dayspring said the majority leader wanted to bring spending “down to 2008 levels or less in the coming CR.”

Dayspring added that the open rule process allowing amendments, which was usually now allowed under the Democratic-controlled House, “empowers any member — especially those in the RSC — to cut additional spending by offering their own amendments.”

“Leader Cantor looks forward to supporting many of those amendments designed to cut spending and grow jobs, and the House will work its will,” Dayspring said. “This is a starting point, certainly not an ending point.”

But the House GOP has begun to take its lumps from grassroots conservative activists and powerful interest groups in Washington over the issue of whether to cut $100 billion in the next weeks or not.

Russ Vought, a former RSC executive director who is now political director at the Heritage Action for America, an arm of the Heritage Foundation, wrote on the popular conservative blog Redstate that the GOP leadership parsing over what they meant by $100 billion back in September was besides the point.

“Is there some room for interpretation as to what was intended by the ‘first year’? Sure. But more importantly, why are House Leaders nickel and diming the American taxpayer when we’re facing a $1.5 trillion budget deficit?” Vought wrote. “Given the fiscal straits that we’re in as a country, why not demand that the $100 billion (as promised) is a down payment in FY 2011 and demand even more in FY 2012? That would be leadership.”

Email Jon Ward and follow him on Twitter