Republicans’ ‘You Cut’ project lets public vote online for spending cuts

By: Todd J. Gillman/The Dallas Morning News

House Republicans are taking their push to cut federal spending to a new level: On Wednesday, they’ll unveil a project that lets the public rank its priorities for showdowns over “wasteful or unnecessary spending.”

The “You Cut” program is one part election-year gimmick, one part direct democracy, and it’s intended to spotlight the spending side of the federal deficit problem.

Each week, House Republicans will post online five spending targets. Whichever gets the most votes online or by cell phone, lawmakers will try to force Congress to eliminate the following week.

Citizens will also be invited to suggest cuts. The lawmakers behind the effort, led by Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia, call themselves the “House Economic Recovery Working Group.”

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