Steve Chapman writes in his column today:
The GOP’s budget star is Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who has specific plans to revamp the big entitlement programs that take up such an outsize share of federal obligations.
What no one seems to have noticed is that even his controversial Roadmap for America’s Future does little to rein in spending in the foreseeable future.
In fact, it would boost federal spending from 21.6 percent of gross domestic product in 2012 to 22 percent in 2016, 23.2 percent in 2026 and 24.1 percent in 2036.
What no one seems to have noticed is that even his controversial Roadmap for America’s Future does little to rein in spending in the foreseeable future.
In fact, it would boost federal spending from 21.6 percent of gross domestic product in 2012 to 22 percent in 2016, 23.2 percent in 2026 and 24.1 percent in 2036.
This is technically true, but also immensely unfair to Ryan. The Roadmap for America’s Future was Ryan’s 2010 budget. It is not the same as the Path to Prosperity plan that he passed through the Budget Committee this year and was adopted by the full House on April 15th.
As the chart above shows, Ryan’s Path does indeed lower federal spending as a percentage of GDP from 24.1% in 2011 to 20.1% in 2016. Ryan’s path then lowers spending to 19.9% of GDP by 2019 where it stays for good.
