Fox's “Straight News” Wildly Overinflates GOP Budget's Effect On Deficit

Carl Cameron reported that Rep. Paul Ryan's budget proposal would “cut more than $6 trillion from the federal debt of $14 trillion over the course of the next 10 years.” In fact, Ryan's proposal claims that it would reduce the federal deficit by $1.6 trillion over the next 10 years -- not reduce the federal debt by $6 trillion.

Fox's Cameron Reports Ryan Budget Would Reduce Debt By $6 Trillion

Cameron: Ryan's Budget “Would Cut $6 Trillion From The Federal Debt Of $14 Trillion.” From the April 15 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom:

ALISYN CAMEROTA (anchor): Fox's Carl Cameron is live on Capitol Hill on all of this. So, is there any doubt, Carl, about the outcome of today's vote?

CAMERON (chief political correspondent) : A little bit, but not that the Republicans will make their case -- that the debt needs to be reduced dramatically. Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee's proposal will be the last of several votes today. It'll come around 2 o'clock this afternoon. And that's the one that would cut more than $6 trillion from the federal debt of $14 trillion over the course of the next 10 years. [Fox News, America's Newsroom, 4/15/11]

Fox Runs Video Of Deficit Chart While Referencing "$6 Trillion In Cuts" In Graphic. From America's Newsroom:

[Fox News, America's Newsroom, 4/15/11]

Cameron Describes Ryan Plan As “The Paul Ryan-John Boehner Proposal To Cut $6 Trillion Off Of The National Federal Debt Of $14 Trillion Over The Next Decade.” From the April 15 edition of Fox News' Studio B:

CAMERON: The Paul Ryan-John Boehner proposal to cut $6 trillion off of the national federal debt of $14 trillion over the next decade is the one that stands, and it passed with about 18 votes to spare. Republicans needed to get 217; they got 235 to pass it, and 193 Democrats opposed it. In terms of actual cross-party voting, three Democrats actually broke ranks with the liberals and voted for the proposal; four conservative Republicans broke ranks and voted against it. So, virtually a straight party-line vote.

TRACE GALLAGHER (guest host): And Carl, what does this mean moving forward in terms of raising the debt limit?

CAMERON: Well, I mean, it's key because it really sort of illustrates precisely where the Democrats -- excuse me, Republicans think serious spending cuts and deficit reductions should take place in order to raise the debt limit sometime in the next couple of months. The president has proposed cutting $4 trillion in 12 years; the Republicans in the House propose cutting $6 trillion in 10. And then there's two other alternatives. One from the so-called Gang of Six, a bipartisan organization in the Senate, that's a little bit more than what the president is proposing. And then there's the president's actual fiscal commission, which also proposed more than what the president proposed.

But it's very important to remember, Trace, that a budget resolution -- the one that was passed in the House today -- is nonbinding. It's a guide. It's sort of the way in which Republicans will chart their course through the legislative calendar this year. But it doesn't go to the president to get signed into law -- it's merely their statement of sort of philosophical goals and principles. [Fox News, Studio B, 4/15/11]

Ryan's Own Proposal Claims $1.6 Trillion In Deficit Reduction -- Not $6 Trillion In Debt Reduction

House Budget Committee: Ryan Proposal Reduces Deficit By $1.65 Trillion Over 10 Years. Ryan's budget proposal says it would reduce spending by $5.8 trillion from 2012 to 2021, relative to the Congressional Budget Office's baseline. The proposal says it would reduce revenue collected by the federal government in the same period by $4.2 trillion, for a deficit reduction of $1.6 trillion:

[Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Resolution, House Budget Committee, 4/11/11]