Cantor: GOP will oppose new spending

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) signaled that Republicans will reject President Obama’s expected call for more federal spending in infrastructure, education and innovation initiatives.

Cantor questioned reports that Obama will seek new “investments” in his State of the Union address, saying the public had had enough of government spending to boost the economy.

“The investment needs to be in the private sector,” Cantor said in an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“What the people have said is, ‘Enough, we’ve got to shrink government and cut spending,’” Cantor said.

He reiterated the “cut and grow” mantra of the new Republican House majority, but he refused several times to list specific programs the GOP would seek to cut or eliminate. He did note that Republicans would vote this week to end public financing for the presidential elections. Cantor said Republicans remained committed to cutting overall domestic discretionary spending by $100 billion “on an annualized basis.”

Pressed by host David Gregory, Cantor also avoided specifics in how the GOP would reform Social Security to extend its long-term solvency.

Cantor said the House GOP would have “three bites at the apple” to insist on serious spending cuts: a vote to increase the debt limit, a vote to keep the government running past March 4, and the annual budget.