'You Cut' Introduced by Rep. Eric Cantor

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - House Republicans are encouraging Americans to take another kind of vote, one that suggests what example of "wasteful spending" to cut. The program is called "You Cut."

The "You Cut" website , which allows users to vote online or with their cell phones, says the project is "designed to defeat the permissive culture of runaway spending in Congress."

"Vote on this page today for your priorities and together we can begin to change Washington's culture of spending into a culture of savings," the website stated.

There will be five choices listed each week. This week includes:
• The Presidential election fund, which provides matching funds to political candidates during Presidential primaries;
• Taxpayer-subsidized union activities;
• Housing and Urban Development funding for doctoral dissertations such as research on media strategies for housing policy and the use of eminent domain for urban development;
• A new non-reformed welfare program, "created to incentivize states to increase their welfare caseloads without requiring able-bodied adults to work, get job training, or otherwise prepare to move off of taxpayer assistance;
• Eliminate wealthier programs from the Community Development Block Grant program.

Each listing offers potential savings, such as $2.6 billion for the CDBG initiative.

Republican Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va. , a fifth-term congressman who won re-election in 2008, unveiled the online effort this week. Cantor also sits on the House Ways and Means Committee, which handles issues such as taxes, trade, Social Security, Medicare, health care and welfare reform.

Cantor appeared on FOX News' On The Record With Greta , on which he discussed "You Cut." He said the program was produced by the Economic Recovering Working Group in the House, "a group of Republicans who really intend on trying to change the culture in Washington."

"You know, not only have we've seen just rampant pork barrel spending, but the whole process itself is bent towards spending money," Cantor said. "And so what this program is, is an ability for people across the country to make their voices heard, to vote on what they think should be cut from the federal budget."

He said whichever item wins will be taken to the House floor for a vote the following week.

According to The Dallas Morning News Republicans are letting the public prioritize what should be the next showdowns over "wasteful or unnecessary spending."

The Dallas newspaper calls it part election-year gimmick, part direct democracy as it shines a light on the spending side of the federal deficit issue.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Ryan Rudominer criticized the program, saying in the Dallas Morning News that it should be called "You Lie" because "that's exactly what House Republicans do when they talk about deficits. Republicans have no credibility on the topic."

Rudominer said that Republicans inherited a thriving economy and a budget surplus in 2001.