Sessions: Despite GOP effort, 2012 spending will increase

Republicans negotiated an agreement with Democrats this year that cut discretionary, non-security spending by about $4 billion in 2012. But Sessions has noted that the savings are canceled out by another $8 billion increase in disaster aid, which was approved earlier this month.

Sessions has also argued that changes in mandatory spending in the 2012 spending plan create the appearance of reductions, but in reality artificially lower spending by about $17 billion.

A statement released by Sessions’s office said the $20 billion increase includes the fast-dropping stimulus and war spending.

“This increase comes despite a $104 billion, current-law reduction in stimulus and war spending — masking a larger expansion of regular, built-in government spending,” the statement said.

The statement said that if the drop in stimulus and war spending is not counted, total outlays will increase $124 billion this year — up 3.8 percent.

It also said that between 2008 and 2012, total annual outlays have increased $637 billion, or 21 percent. And over four years, the government will spend $14.2 billion, up from $10.8 billion in the prior four-year period.

Last week, Sessions blamed Senate Democrats and the Obama administration for failing to engage with Republicans on ways to cut spending.

“House Republicans have worked vigilantly all year to change our debt course, and produced a budget to do exactly that,” he said just before the omnibus spending bill was approved. “The great shame is that they never had willing partners in President Obama and his Democrat-led Senate.”