With 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls starting to declare their candidacies, their party already appears to be dividing into two factions: fiscal hawks and defense hawks. The Senate recently passed a budget blueprint with provisions and proposed amendments that put a spotlight on the fiscal differences between several presidential hopefuls.
Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) each independently proposed amendments that would have raised defense spending by billions. Yet the two split on how to fund the proposed increase. Rubio, aligning himself with defense hawks, offered no plan to offset the costs of his proposal while Paul, a fiscal hawk, advocated for cuts to science, education, and natural resource funding. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was torn on the issue but eventually sided with Rubio. Though both Rubio’s and Paul’s amendments were voted down, the Senate budget plan still passed with provisions for increased defense spending and $5.1 trillion in domestic spending cuts over 10 years. Neither Paul nor Cruz supported this final plan.
While the senate budget plan has highlighted the fiscal stances of some of the more prominent GOP presidential hopefuls, it has also brought some more serious concerns to the table. As presidential hopefuls try to define themselves in the coming months, the rift between fiscal hawks and defense hawks may slowly begin to divide the Republican Party. This could prove monumental not only for Republicans but for the entire nation, considering that several key upcoming measures will require both within-party unity and bipartisanship. Among these measures are proposals to renew funding for the Highway Trust Fund and to renew the Federal Export-Import Bank Charter before the summer ends. On top of all this, Congress will have to make the tough decision in October to either allow across-the-board spending cuts or raise the debt ceiling.
Some may find hope in the coming passage of a bipartisan Medicare bill, which would finally bring to rest payment issues dating back almost two decades. However, the recent split among GOP senators over the budget plan and the more significant rift between House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) over funding for the Department of Homeland Security show that divisions still exist not just within Congress, but within the GOP.
At a time when Republicans should be taking advantage of their control of Congress, internal party struggles are limiting their ability to successfully pass legislation. This could hurt the GOP’s image going into the 2016 presidential election. If the GOP wants to take control of the White House in 2016, Boehner and McConnell will have to sew the seams of unity and stop the internal debates that seek to destroy their party.
Image Credit: Flickr // Gage Skidmore
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