NFRW Legislative News: 1,246 Days and Counting Since a Budget Has Been Passed in the Senate

According to the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, Congress is required by law to annually pass a budget. It has been 1,246 days since one has been passed, and the fault lies with the Senate Democrats. According the the Senate Budget Committee, April 29, 2009, was the last day the Majority brought a budget plan to the floor, even though the deadline for passing a budget out of committee is April 1st. By contrast, the Republican-led House passed their budget for next year on March 29, 2012, ahead of schedule. However, since Sen. Kent Conrad, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, refuses to set up a legally required mark-up and Sen. Harry Reid states it would be "foolish" for Senate Democrats to offer a budget, nothing will be done if the Democrats continue to control the Senate after the elections in November. The following are talking points adapted from the Senate Budget Committee:

Federal spending has reached over $10.4 trillion since a budget was last passed.

No Democrat budget plans were brought to the Senate floor in 2011 and 2012.
President Obama's FY2012 budget plan did not garner a single vote, Republican or Democrat, in the House or Senate.

According to the Congressional Budget Act, a budget only needs 51 votes in the Senate to pass, but on February 12, 2012, White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew wrongly claimed that a budget needs 60 votes to pass the Senate.

Sen. Conrad was reminded by every Republican on the Budget Committee on March 14, 2012, that the committee is required by law to pass a budget by April 1st. Instead, he canceled the required mark-up on April 17th.

On November 9th, 2011, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said that Democrats did not offer a budget because "Republicans would have filibustered it" even though budget resolutions cannot be filibustered.

For more reading on the failure of leadership in the Senate majority, read ◼ Sen. Jeff Sessions' Politico op-ed here.

For more information on Obama's disastrous budget proposal, check out ◼ The $4 Trillion Deceit by the Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee and ◼ By The Numbers: Three Full Years Since Senate Democrats Last Adopted A Budget
__________________◼ National Federation of Republican Women

◼ Budget deficit tops $1 trillion for fourth time - Washington Times
◼ Democrats punt on Senate budget bill for third year - Washington Times
◼ May 16, 2012: President Obama's budget suffered a second embarrassing defeat Wednesday, when senators voted 99-0 to reject it. Coupled with the House's rejection in March, 414-0, that means Mr. Obama's budget has failed to win a single vote in support this year. - Washington Times
◼ CBO: Obama budget will hurt economy - The Hill
◼ $73,000 Debt Per American Under Obama's Budget Plan - Weekly Standard
◼ March 29, 2012: Obama budget goes down in House -- 414-0 - Washington Times
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