Oversight
Sessions Details Reid’s Subversion Of Senate’s Historic Role
"The Senate is where the great issues of our time are supposed to be examined, reviewed, and discussed before the whole nation. Yet, in the last few years, we have witnessed the dramatic erosion of Senators' rights and the dismantling of the open legislative process… All of us, both parties, have a responsibility to stop and reverse these trends. It's in the national interest. It's the right thing to do… All of us owe our constituents an open, deliberative process where the great … Continue Reading
01.16.14
Analysis Of H.R. 3547, The FY 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act
To view the Budget Committee's detailed analysis of the omnibus as a 14-page PDF, including tables comparing the bill's spending with the continuing resolution and 2008 enacted levels, please click here.… Continue Reading
01.14.14
Sessions: More Work Needed To Fix Pensions For Veterans
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today regarding the military pension provision in the omnibus: "I was pleased that the House-Senate package includes a provision restoring the pensions for disabled veterans, after we called attention to the fact that wounded warriors would be impacted by the budget deal. However, the deal fails to restore pension payments for millions of active duty and retired military pers… Continue Reading
01.13.14
Budget Points Of Order Against Reed Amendment #2631 To S. 1845
Senate Budget Committee Republican staff, in consultation with the Committee's Democratic staff, have identified at least four budget points of order that lie against Sen. Jack Reed's amendment #2631 to S. 1845 (the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act) for violating the FY 2014 deemed spending levels in the Ryan-Murray package. The points of order, which all require 60 votes to waive, are as follows: Senate PAYGO (sec. 201(a), S. Con. Res. 21, the FY 2008 budget resolution, 110t… Continue Reading
01.10.14
Sessions Delivers Address On Poverty And Unemployment In America
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, delivered the following prepared remarks on the Senate floor yesterday addressing the issue of persistent, long-term unemployment: Today, President Obama delivered remarks on the growing problem of poverty and chronic unemployment that has occurred during the five years of his presidency. Just this week, his Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, said that 'the rich keep getting richer, the poor keep getting … Continue Reading
01.10.14
Ranking Member Sessions On Jobs Report: Nearly 5 People Left Workforce For Each 1 Job Added
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement on the December jobs report: "Today's jobs report underscores a deeper problem facing our economy: a large and growing block of people who are chronically jobless and completely outside the workforce. In December, the economy added only 74,000 jobs - not nearly enough to keep up with population growth -and 347,000 left the workforce. That means for every one job added, near… Continue Reading
01.09.14
Ranking Member Sessions Responds To Obama’s Speech On ‘Promise Zones’
"It represents an admission that five years of tax, spend, borrow, and regulate have produced economic misery for countless Americans." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today in response to President Obama's address on chronic unemployment: "The President today announced five 'promise zones' scattered throughout the entirety of the nation for the millions of chronically unemployed Americans. It represents … Continue Reading
12.18.13
Ranking Member Sessions Comments On Passage Of Ryan-Murray Spending Package
"Majority Leader Reid rushed through this closed-door deal without a single amendment." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement tonight after the Senate voted 64-36 to adopt the Ryan-Murray spending package: "I appreciate the earnest work that went into crafting this proposal and the sincere policy disagreements on both sides. Had amendments been allowed in the Senate, we could have fixed the problematic features … Continue Reading
12.17.13
Sessions Comments On Reid Majority Blocking Amendments To Budget Deal
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement tonight after the Senate voted 46-54 not to table Reid's amendments that 'filled the tree' in order to allow actual amendments to the Ryan-Murray budget deal: "Today, Reid and his majority quashed the ability of any Senator to offeramendments to the spending deal that emerged from the House. They voted to undermine their own ability as Senators to offer amendments and do legi… Continue Reading
12.17.13
As Senate Cuts Off Debate On Spending Deal, Sessions Discovers Military Retiree Provision Worse Than First Thought
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today regarding a provision in the so-called Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that cuts the pensions of disabled military veterans to fuel much larger spending increases elsewhere: "It has been asserted that the controversial change to military retirees' pensions affects those who are 'working-age' and 'still in their working years,' with the clear suggestion being that these in… Continue Reading
12.16.13
Sessions: Point Of Order Loss Would Be A Blow To Minority Rights
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today regarding a provision in the Ryan-Murray spending package that would remove a key protection against future tax-and-spend legislation: "As we near a Senate vote on the spending package that emerged from the House, I remain deeply concerned about a provision in the legislation that undermines the right of Senators to enforce spending limits and block tax increases by rai… Continue Reading
12.16.13
Section-By-Section Analysis Of The Bipartisan Budget Act Of 2013
The Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) of 2013 would increase the discretionary spending caps established by the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA) by $45 billion in 2014 and $18 billion in 2015. The $63 billion in higher spending is not offset over the BCA window of 2014-2021; during that period, the legislation increases spending by almost $25 billion, as 53% of the offsets in the BBA realized during the BCA window come from higher fees and revenues. Additionally, $47 billion of the BBA's $85 billion offs… Continue Reading
12.12.13
Sessions Confirms Spending Deal Would Strip A Key Protection For Senate Minority Rights
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today regarding the provision in the Budget Control Act replacement package that removes a crucial budget point of order in the Senate: "My office has received multiple inquiries as to the effect of the Ryan/Murray deal on Senators' rights to oppose new spending. I regret to say that this bill clearly and unequivocally undermines the ability of the Senate to maintain agreed-u… Continue Reading
12.11.13
Sessions, Senate’s Top GOP Budget Member, Opposes Spending Deal
"A series of concerns, on balance, cause me to be unable to support the legislation produced by Chairman Ryan and Chairman Murray, including: While I favor reorganizing elements of the Budget Control Act to smooth the impact, I do not favor increasing total discretionary spending above what was agreed to over the 10-year BCA period (exchanged for the already-exhausted $2.1 trillion debt increase in 2011). I specifically do not favor using trust fund savings to increase discretionary spending… Continue Reading
11.19.13
Sessions Asks Obamaphone Fund Managers For Info On Program Costs, Expenses
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, today released a letter that he sent to the acting chief executive officer of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), which is the organization responsible for managing the Universal Service Fund used to pay for programs such as Obamaphones. An identical letter was also sent to the chairman of USAC's board, Dr. Brian Talbott. The full text of Sessions' letter is below, and a PDF version may be… Continue Reading
11.18.13
Sessions Questions Taxpayer Handouts To Unprofitable Solar Company
"The financial pressures related to a private company's survival should not cause the federal government to modify its policies or place additional taxpayer money at risk… There is concern that SolarCity might become the next Solyndra-a company propped on the back of the taxpayers." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released a letter he sent today to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew regarding tax credits provided to SolarCity, a solar en… Continue Reading
11.13.13
Sessions Issues Remarks On Second Budget Conference Hearing
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following prepared remarks today as the budget conference committee held its second public meeting, at which Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf also testified: "I am once again honored to be joined here today by some of the brightest minds and leaders in Congress. Thank you all and thank you to Director Elmendorf for offering us your expertise. To work together on financia… Continue Reading
10.30.13
HHS Reverses Course, Reissues Obamacare Prison Contract To Same No-Bid Company
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today after the Department of Health and Human Services abruptly reversed course and reissued a controversial sole-source contract for a Chicago company to promote the President's health law to individuals in prisons: "I'm disappointed that the cancellation notice posted by HHS did not mean they had actually abandoned their effort to award this unwise project. The Department … Continue Reading
10.30.13
Sessions Delivers Opening Statement At First Budget Conference Meeting
"I am honored to be with this distinguished group. In this room are seated some of the most knowledgeable people in our nation on budget, debt, and economic growth. The purpose of a budget is to develop a financial plan for the future of America. It is not easy and our differences are real and difficult to bridge, but there are actions on which we can agree that will improve the financial standing of America and economic growth. Our colleague, Ron Johnson, is a very successful businessman. As … Continue Reading
10.29.13
Following Sessions’ Inquiry, HHS Quietly Scraps No-Bid Contract For Chicago Company To Promote Obamacare To Prisoners
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, announced today that the Department of Health and Human Services had canceled a no-bid contract to "increase insurance enrollment for… individuals involved in the criminal justice system." The sole-source contract had been awarded to Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, a community advocacy organization based in Chicago, Illinois: "This unjustifiable contract never should have been awarded, … Continue Reading
