GOP Pledge-O-Meter: Tracking the promises of the GOP Leadership in Congress
PolitiFact has compiled promises that Republican congressional leaders made during the 2010 campaign and is tracking their progress on our GOP Pledge-O-Meter.
We rate their status as Not Yet Rated, In the Works or Stalled. Once we find action is completed, we rate them Promise Kept, Compromise or Promise Broken. (See our About the Pledge-O-Meter page for definitions of the ratings.)
The report card at right provides an up-to-the-minute tally of all the promises.
Browse the GOP Pledge-O-Meter:
Promises we’ve rated recently
Vote on budget-cutting bills
The Promise:
"Bring forward a series of rescissions bills, each of which would be open for amendment to reduce spending even further."
Review entitlements and prevent expansion of unfunded liabilities
The Promise:
Will require "a full accounting of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, setting benchmarks for these programs and reviewing them regularly, and preventing the expansion of unfunded liabilities."
Work with state and local officials to enforce immigration laws
The Promise:
Will "reaffirm the authority of state and local law enforcement to assist in the enforcement of all federal immigration laws."
Update January 8th, 2013:
House Republicans support state and local help enforcing immigration laws
Bring every Pledge to America proposal before the House for a vote
The Promise:
"If elected as your Majority Leader, I will act to bring each Pledge proposal before the House for a vote, including votes early in the year on keeping tax rates low, reducing spending, repealing Obamacare, and permanently prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortion."
Refuse to consider House legislation that includes earmarks
The Promise:
Refuse to "consider House legislation that includes earmarks."
Cancel unspent stimulus
The Promise:
Will "move immediately to cancel unspent 'stimulus' funds, and block any attempts to extend the timeline for spending 'stimulus' funds."
Cut government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels
The Promise:
Will "roll back government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels, saving at least $100 billion in the first year alone."
Update January 7th, 2013:
Spending has risen or fallen, depending on the year you're comparing to
Demand an overarching detention policy
The Promise:
Will "work to ensure foreign terrorists, such as the 9/11 conspirators, are tried in military, not civilian, court."
Update January 7th, 2013:
Republicans push for military custody of terror suspects; Obama pushes back
Require congressional approval for major regulations
The Promise:
"Will require congressional approval of any new federal regulation that has an annual cost to our economy of $100 million or more."
Have every member of the House Republican conference champion a YouCut program
The Promise:
"Work with every member of the Republican Conference to identify a spending cut that they can champion as part of the YouCut program."
Schedule at least one YouCut proposal every week
The Promise:
"Work with House committees and schedule at least one YouCut proposal each and every week. And the YouCut program will not be limited to just discretionary spending, but will also find ways to produce savings from mandatory spending."
Give small businesses a tax deduction
The Promise:
"Allow small business owners to take a tax deduction equal to 20 percent of their business income."
Develop a 'cut as you go' rule
The Promise:
"Consider developing a 'cut as you go' rule that would apply to any member proposing the creation of new government programs or benefits...Under this 'CutGO' rule, if it is your intention to create a new government program, you must also terminate or reduce spending on an existing government program of equal or greater size – in the very same bill."
Make Bush tax cuts permanent for all incomes
The Promise:
Permanently stop "all tax increases, currently scheduled to take effect January 1, 2011."
Boehner will fly commercial
The Promise:
As Speaker of the House, John Boehner vowed that he will continue to fly commercial rather than military planes. "Well, I have talked to our security folks about the security that's involved in my new role," he said in an interview. "But over the last 20 years, I have flown back and forth to my district on commercial aircraft, and I'm going to continue to do that."
We want to hear your suggestions and comments.
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