Honestly, it’s just getting embarrassing. Yesterday, Scott Brown joined his fellow Republicans in filibustering a bill that would have prevented the interest rate on student loans from doubling. The reason: because the bill adopted an entirely sensible means of paying for itself, namely, closing a tax loophole that allows wealthy taxpayers to pretend that they are corporations instead of people (paging Mitt Romney) and thereby pay themselves in dividends, which keeps them from having to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes. It’s a tax dodge, and it shouldn’t be allowed.
Anyway, Scott Brown thought he’d offer up a counterproposal that would prove that he really is a good guy who wants to help students. His plan: pay for keeping the rate low by cutting down on … wait for it … waste, fraud, and abuse. That’s right:
Brown’s legislation directs the Office of Management and Budget to identify which agencies account for most improper payments and would expand programs to audit and recover improper payments.
“Senator Brown believes that working together, we can find the $6 billion of improper payments and return the money to the Treasury to pay for the cost of the student loan rate increase,” said Marcie Kinzel, Brown’s director of communications. “He is open to working with anyone of good will to cut this wasteful spending and make sure that Congress gets the student loan fix done in a fiscally responsible way.”
The problem, of course, is that it won’t work. According to the Globe,
While the CBO has yet to analyze Brown’s proposal, its analysis of similar legislation shows that reducing payment mistakes would recover only “several million dollars.”
During a speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday, the chamber’s top Democrat, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, called Brown’s proposal “all for show.” …
In October, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, of which Brown is a member, requested a CBO analysis of the “Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act of 2011,” authored by Senator Tom Carper, a Democrat from Delaware.
In its analysis, the CBO noted that “Not all improper payments involve fraud or result in a loss to the federal government.”
The CBO analysis said that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services already have audit and recovery pilot programs in place to correct claims and recover incorrect payments.
One demonstration program cost about $200 million to operate and returned about $695 million to the Medicare trust funds, the CBO said. A similar program was launched between 2008-2011, netting $140 million in saved funds.
Government officials say the vast majority of improper payments are dispersed unintentionally, or are legitimate payments but were categorized as improper because proper paperwork was lacking.
Brown’s bill, in other words, is a joke – and a bad one at that. This whole thing is classic Scott Brown: first vote in lockstep with your party, then complain about how everyone is Washington except him is such a bad ol’ partisan, then float a half-baked alternative proposal that won’t work on how to solve a problem that the adults in the room are actually trying to address, and then (look for this in the next day or two) whine about how nobody pays attention to him because he’s trying to be all bipartisan.
It’s pathetic. Massachusetts deserves much, much better.
johnk says
Scott needs a person on the drums.
Thanks folks, I’ll be here all week. (unfortunately)
mike_cote says
I cannot wait to vote against this clown.
whosmindingdemint says
Brown is counting on waste, fraud and abuse in gov’mnt to fund his bill. I see.
Well then, I guess we need more waste fraud in abuse in guv’mnt in order to lower interest rates!
Genius
Patrick says
*Does not include defense spending.
kbusch says
For a while, I’ve joked that Republicans campaign as if there is a Department of Waste whose elimination can justify further tax cuts. I never thought a Republican would try to translate this idea into policy.
whosmindingdemint says
.
Donald Green says
Sen Brown’s Integrity Quotient is eroding day by day. He has made the mistake to follow Karl Rove’s playbook. They are counting on this reverse reasoning of this is the right way, yours is the wrong way based on some made up or frankly false premise. If it is questioned another blind alley will be illuminated. They hope to filibuster your enthusiasm since this is their game. They will keep it up until you give up. There is only one workable solution. Remove them from office and put in politicians who aligned with your views. When Elizabeth Warren prevails as it looks she will in September all active Democrats must step up and help her win. It is a bit premature since Marissa DeFranco is still in the race and that should play out before putting the full throttle as the chosen Democratic US Senate nominee. In the meantime if she has your support then commenting in major media, canvassing, phone calls, meet and greet venues, and fund raising is the order of the day right now.