Anyone who wonders why the national approval rating for Congress hovers around 10 percent should consider the latest gambit by House Republicans.

They are now trying to avoid the automatic budget cuts triggered by collapse of negotiations when the debt ceiling was raised last year. More specifically, they want to keep the automatic cuts opposed by Democrats and cancel theirs.

That’s ridiculous. Last July’s deal was designed to motivate both parties by triggering automatic budget cuts in January — half from defense, half from social programs. Yet now House Republicans want to reduce more spending on the social side and roll back some financial reforms instead. That plan will go nowhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

If Republicans or Democrats want to avoid “painful” budget cuts in January, they should put forth a realistic plan now. If they don’t, those spending cuts are better than nothing, and they should proceed.

— Beaumont Enterprise,

Texas, May 11