In response to this story in the Chronicle containing the headline "House GOP calls for extreme cuts in federal budget", I sent the following letter:

re:  "Extreme" Cuts in Federal Budget

I was intrigued when I saw an articled headlined "House GOP calls for extreme cuts in federal budget"; however, I was "extremely" disappointed to learn that the supposedly draconian cuts amounted to a mere $35 billion — out of a federal government budget of nearly $3.5 trillion.

While $35 billion might seem like a large amount to many people, it amounts to only around 1% of the federal budget — hardly an "extreme cut" by any objective standard.  It would make only a 3% decrease in the federal budget deficit, which is estimated by the government to be around $1.5 trillion this year.

The only thing "extreme" about the outlined cuts is how "extremely" small they are.  Let us hope that House Republicans have more cuts yet to reveal.

Sincerely,
Dave Smith
Houston, TX