In the 112th Congress, Senate Democrats Haven’t Even Proposed A Budget
As a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2006, Bob Menendez (D-NJ) – who is the only sitting U.S. Senator currently under federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice – repeatedly attempted to present himself as a fiscal hawk and routinely pilloried what he called the “credit card mentality” in Washington.
Yet today marks a full 750 days since Menendez and the Democrat-controlled Senate have passed ANY budget, let alone a balanced budget, something which Menendez has also never once helped to pass since coming to Washington. In fact, in the current 112th Congress, Senate Democrats have yet to even propose a budget, let alone debate and pass one. And in just the 750 days since Menendez and his fellow Democrats who run the Senate have failed to pass a budget, the federal debt has risen by an additional $3.1 trillion.
“Every month, every New Jersey family has to put together a budget and live within their means, yet Bob Menendez and his fellow Washington Democrats apparently don’t believe they should be held to that same standard,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond. “Passing a federal budget is the most basic responsibility of the Congress, but for more than four years Menendez has been content to kick the can down the road and keep maxing out the government credit card on the backs of our children and grandchildren. Now here we are after 750 days, and Menendez and his fellow Washington Democrats won’t even propose a budget, let alone pass one.”
Background…
As Democrats continue to spend, Americans are still waiting for their budget:
- “… it’s been more than 700 days since the Democrat-controlled Senate has actually passed a budget.” (Andrew Stiles, “Conrad the Cowardly Budget Chair?” National Review, 05/06/11)
- “It has been more than 700 days since Senate Democrats have voted on a budget. Republicans sent a letter to Conrad this week demanding to see a budget before they are forced to vote on it. Conrad has not responded.” (Conn Carroll, “Morning Examiner: The most important number of the week,” The Examiner, 05/06/11)
- “Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) says he has no immediate plans to mark up a budget, as members of his committee continue to disagree over spending cuts and tax increases….Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) cast doubt on whether Conrad’s effort will succeed. ‘I don’t know there is going to be a Conrad budget,’ Baucus said.” (Alex Bolton, Senate Dems’ Budget In Limbo, The Hill 5/17/2011)
Since the Democrat-controlled Senate last passed a budget, the federal debt has risen by an additional $3.1 trillion:
- On April 27, 2009, The National Debt Was $11.2 Trillion. (Treasury Direct Website, www.treasurydirect.gov, Accessed 5/18/11)
- Today, The National Debt Is Over $14.3 Trillion. (Treasury Direct Website, www.treasurydirect.gov, Accessed 5/18/11)
And aside from not passing a budget, Senate Democrats aren’t doing much of anything else either:
- “The legislative snoozefest that has been the U.S. Senate this year isn’t likely to change anytime soon …” (Steven T. Dennis, “Senate Faces Modest Agenda as Debt Limit Looms,” Roll Call, 05/01/11)
- “Even the modest agenda laid out by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has begun to stall.” (Steven T. Dennis, “Senate Faces Modest Agenda as Debt Limit Looms,” Roll Call, 05/01/11)
- “Through last week, the Senate had held only 70 roll-call votes, the lowest level through this point in the year since 1997. About a quarter of those votes have been on nominations — many of them noncontroversial.” (Manu Raju, “Slow-go Senate avoids tough roll-call votes,” Politico, 05/18/11)
But As A Candidate For the Senate In 2006, Menendez Repeatedly Presented Himself As A Fiscal Hawk:
MENENDEZ: “And Lastly The Enormous Debt That The President Is Generating By Virtue Of His Fiscal Policy Is The Debt That Their Children And Grandchildren Will Pay. I Think That That’s Immoral.” (ABC’s, “This Week,” 9/24/06)
MENENDEZ: “This President Has Borrowed More Than All The Other Presidents Of The United States Combined. So The Bottom Line, I Think The President Has A Credibility Problem When He Talks About Eliminating The Debt, Especially When The Offsets That Were Just Offered In The Tax Bill Are Not To Offset, For Example, Reconstruction Of Hurricane Katrina But To Offset More Tax Cuts.” (Fox News Channel’s, “Hannity & Colmes,” 1/31/06)
MENENDEZ: “What’s Irresponsible Is The Republican Attitude Of The Credit Card Mentality They Have For The Future.” (Herb Jackson, “Tax Policy Sharply Divides Menendez And Kean,” The [Bergen County, NJ] Record, 10/13/06)
