Featured Member Activity
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.
On the spending side, Republicans identified several trillions of dollars in sensible, responsible reductions that would have actually solved our fiscal crisis. In the face of fierce Democratic opposition, we agreed to scale back our proposal to just $750 billion in cuts over the next decade — less than 2 percent of what our government is projected to spend over the next 10 years.
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.
“The President’s proposal for business tax reform is disappointing for its lack of substantive leadership, especially considering the importance of tax reform and tax certainty in getting America back to work and keeping America competitive in the global economy. The President’s proposal is overly vague with the exception of demagogic political proposals, like those related to aircraft and oil and gas depreciation rules."
“We face difficult times in our economy, and there are costs associated with many of the difficult issues we debate. However, every American is impacted as much by our mounting national debt as the day-to-day issues they face. We must stop the tax-and-spend approach of the federal government. Serious actions must be taken to address the crushing debt, but tax hikes and new spending are not the answer."
@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
@robportman: Govt debt owed per person in Greece=$38K. US=$44K. US govt spending will put us in Greece's mess unless we stop it http://twitpic.com/8nqwsi
Proposing and adopting a budget is essential if we are to begin to get federal spending under control. http://bit.ly/yNyFY1