03.14.12

As Deadline Nears, Budget Republicans Urge Prompt Scheduling Of Mark-up

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, was joined by every Committee Republican today in releasing a letter to Chairman Kent Conrad.

Text of the letter follows:

Dear Chairman Conrad:

We appreciate your stated commitment to mark up a fiscal year 2013 budget resolution in the Budget Committee. We hope this will not be the third consecutive year that the Senate’s Democrat majority fails to offer a budget plan for examination by the American people.

As you know, the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 requires the Senate and House Committees on the Budget to report a budget resolution out of committee on April 1, and to pass one in both chambers by April 15. Given our titanic federal debt—which weakens the economy today and threatens it with a devastating crisis tomorrow—we urge you to schedule a public mark-up before the statutory deadline.

Changing our debt trajectory will require the full and vigorous participation of all members of the Budget Committee, and the Senate at large. The necessary first step in that process is for us to begin a public mark-up as soon as possible.

Very truly yours,

Jeff Sessions, Ranking Member
Chuck Grassley
Mike Enzi
Mike Crapo
John Cornyn
Lindsey Graham
John Thune
Rob Portman
Pat Toomey
Ron Johnson
Kelly Ayotte