NEWS AND OPINION:

The U.S. Congress must wrestle with the nation’s budget, for better or worse. One organization has some advice for the lawmakers as they begin their task.

“The budget resolution that Congress will write in the coming weeks should do just that. Budgets are meant to provide a blueprint for federal finances, but unfortunately they have more often been used recently as ’shell’ resolutions simply intended to allow for the fast-track reconciliation process to bypass the filibuster in the Senate,” advises the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan organization focused on the nation’s fiscal matters.

“We need an actual, comprehensive budget resolution that makes clear Congress’s intentions for spending, revenue, deficit, and debt over the coming decade – and it should include reconciliation instructions to reduce deficits, as reconciliation is intended to do,” the group said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

“Congress should adopt a budget that aims to achieve a reasonable fiscal goal, such as stabilizing the debt over the decade, which would require roughly $9 trillion savings — an aggressive but achievable goal. In order to achieve this, all options should remain on the table. There are trillions of dollars in potential savings from common-sense bipartisan options to executive action reversals to offsets within the tax code and more,” the statement noted.  

“Lawmakers need to steer clear of budgetary gimmicks that hide the debt impact of their proposals. This includes using a ’current policy baseline’ to hide the cost of extending temporary policies, heroic economic growth assumptions, promising future savings that may never materialize, failing to use official scorekeepers, and relying on offsets that may not be permanent to pay for permanent policies. This is a tremendous opportunity for this budget to restore fiscal responsibility and steward a process of deficit reduction in the coming month,” the statement said.

THE GREENLAND FACTOR

President-elect Donald Trump has revealed his interest in acquiring Greenland as a U.S. property. At 836,300 square-miles, it is the largest island in the world, and winter weather dominates from October to May. Those who are curious about Greenland can visit the nation’s website at visitgreenland.com.

The news media, meanwhile, is very hot on the cold nation at the moment. Here’s a few headlines from the last 24 hours:

“Why does Trump want Greenland?” (The New York Times); “Why is Donald Trump talking about annexing Greenland?” (The Guardian); “‘Greenland is not MAGA’: Denmark parliament member responds to Trump” (CNN); “Why Trump’s pursuit of Greenland could be cheered on by Russia” (CNBC); “What to know about Trump and his keen interest in Greenland” (National Public Radio); “Why does Trump want Greenland and could he get it?” (Reuters); “What Trump Wants With Greenland” (The Wall Street Journal); “Donald Trump Jr. arrives in Greenland after dad says U.S. should own territory” (BBC); “They Love Trump: People of Greenland want to be Americans, says Trump Jr.” (Newsweek); and “Europe pushes back against Trump over Greenland military threat” (NBC News).

SALEM’S STRATEGY

There’s news from the Salem Media Group, an energetic and creative multimedia company specializing in Christian and conservative content. The organization revealed Wednesday that it appointed Brad Parscale as chief strategy officer.

“As a digital architect and entrepreneur, Parscale has built and scaled companies through data-driven advertising, social media engagement, and cutting-edge technology. Parscale’s career skyrocketed during his tenure as digital and media director for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, where his innovative use of social media and digital fundraising reshaped modern political campaigning, leading to his role as campaign manager for Trump’s 2020 re-election bid,” Salem Media Group said in a statement.

“He brings a wealth of digital marketing experience to Salem, tremendous knowledge of and connections within conservative media, and a great passion for Salem’s mission. Brad’s track record in media and politics speaks for itself,” said David Santrella, Salem’s chief executive officer.

“Salem’s strong foundation in Christian values and commitment to delivering quality content provides a great opportunity to expand into new distribution channels and leverage cutting-edge technology,” Mr. Parscale said.

SCIENCE CORNER

“From photographs of decimated buildings to military and civilian casualty counts to narratives of suffering, news media bring information about foreign conflicts to American audiences. But does this coverage actually affect public opinion about whether and how the United States should be involved in a conflict? Does it influence what Americans think about the U.S. providing military, diplomatic, and economic aid to foreign nations?” the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania asked in a report released Monday.

Researchers at the center reveal that “media coverage of civilian casualties increases public support for U.S. involvement in conflicts by evoking empathy for the victims – but only when those victims are from allied countries.”

The paper — titled “How civilian casualty information shapes support for US involvement in an ally country’s war effort” was published Monday in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, a Nature journal.

“These findings are important for media outlets and policymakers as they navigate the complex choices in how to portray and engage with international conflicts. They also teach us about the psychological forces that shape policy support in the context of war,” said Dolores Albarracín, a psychology professor and director of the Communication Science Division and Social Action Lab at the University of Pennsylvania.

She co-wrote the paper with Alon P. Kraitzman, a postdoctoral fellow at the Annenberg Center, and Tom W. Etienne, a doctoral student at Penn.  

POLL DU JOUR

• 28% of U.S. adults say that outside of attending religious services, they pray “several times a day.”

• 14% say they pray “once a day.”

• 13% say they pray “a few times a week.”

• 3% say they pray “once a week.”

• 8% say they pray “a few times a month.

• 14% say they “seldom pray.”

• 19% say they “never” pray outside of religious services.

• 3% “don’t know” about the issue.

SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,552 U.S. adults conducted online Dec. 29-31 and released Jan. 2.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin, on Facebook @HarperUniverse.

• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.