Featured Member Activity
Recognizing the importance of Congress passing budgets, previous Congresses enacted legislation governing the budget process which set up special protections to prevent a Senate filibuster of the budget. Further, previous Congresses established a mechanism giving any Senator the right to call for the consideration of any budget on the Senate calendar if majority party leadership fails to call up a budget by the statutory deadline. With 1,100 days since a budget proposal was last approved by the Senate, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) recently employed this mechanism to give the Senate an opportunity to do its job to pass a fiscal plan. Unfortunately, enactment of a budget was not achieved, but I will continue to press for the Senate to meet its fiscal responsibility.
The first priority for the federal government is to provide for our nation’s defense. As we enter into a time where fiscal austerity has gained greater importance, we must ensure that we continue to provide our military with the resources to meet our national security needs. While we must ask the military to do more with less, we cannot, and should not, ask them to bear a dramatically disproportionate share of the burden.
Unfortunately, that is exactly what is happening.
Unfortunately, that is exactly what is happening.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid appears to believe it is not necessary for the Senate to fulfill its legal responsibility by debating and passing a budget to account for $3.8 trillion in federal spending next fiscal year, $15.6 trillion of debt and, according to figures produced by the Senate Budget Committee Republican staff, more than $65 trillion in additional unfunded liabilities.
I ran for the Senate to get America’s fiscal house in order. That’s why I was so excited to be named to the Budget Committee... But the Senate majority leader refuses to debate a budget on the floor – and Democratic leaders have even appealed, unsuccessfully, to the Senate parliamentarian to prevent the House-passed Republican spending blueprint from receiving a vote.
The country's gloomy fiscal forecast is a failure of leadership on the part of the president and the Democratic majority in the Senate," Sen. Toomey said. "The record levels of debt are already hampering our economic recovery and job growth, and absent a substantive plan to tackle our country's spending addiction and unsustainable entitlement programs, our current problems are only going to get worse."
Apr 18 2012
Statement of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley; Senate Budget Committee Markup
from Sen. Chuck Grassley
"While I’m glad we’re meeting to consider a budget resolution put forward by the Chairman, I’m also puzzled by today’s exercise. First, the Chairman has said repeatedly that we already have a budget in place for this year and next. The Chairman and Majority Leader Reid feel that the Budget Control Act was a budget resolution.
Then why are we here? Why do we need to mark up a budget resolution if the BCA was truly a budget resolution? The answer is clear. The Budget Control Act is not a budget. President Obama clearly agreed when he proposed his budget. House Republicans and Democrats alike agreed when they voted on seven budget resolutions authored by both Republicans and Democrats. The Democratic Leadership in the Senate stands alone in their belief that the BCA was a budget resolution."
Then why are we here? Why do we need to mark up a budget resolution if the BCA was truly a budget resolution? The answer is clear. The Budget Control Act is not a budget. President Obama clearly agreed when he proposed his budget. House Republicans and Democrats alike agreed when they voted on seven budget resolutions authored by both Republicans and Democrats. The Democratic Leadership in the Senate stands alone in their belief that the BCA was a budget resolution."
The Senate missed an opportunity to make real progress in reducing the nation’s unsustainable debt, according to U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., who expressed disappointment that members will not be able to work on, amend, or vote on a budget in the Senate Budget Committee today. The budget markup was suspended due to pressure from the majority leader and his caucus. Enzi issued the following comments in his opening statement before the committee.
Dec 17 2011
Portman Votes to Curb Out of Control Spending and for Bipartisan Payroll Tax Agreement
from Sen. Rob Portman
"With a 21 percent increase in federal spending over the past three years, Washington needs to cut back just as Ohio families have had to do. I just don't think this huge spending bill cuts enough. We won't have the robust recovery and new jobs we all want until we really address our record debt and massive deficits."
@mikecrapo: The debt per person is on track to triple in a generation and the Senate has still not passed a budget. ?#NoDemBudget? http://1.usa.gov/JXlibH
@JohnCornyn: Consequences for no budget for 3 yrs? http://fb.me/1DicbAOZe
@robportman: Working w/o budget is no way to run biz &certainly no way to run the worlds biggest govt. #3YearsNoBudget from Sen Dems http://goo.gl/s8GNR
Proposing and adopting a budget is essential if we are to begin to get federal spending under control. http://bit.ly/yNyFY1