Even in the midst of a civil war and daily air strikes by NATO forces, the Libyan Government has succeeded in doing something that U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and his fellow Senate Democrats have refused to do for 778 days – pass a budget.
Reuters news agency reports that Libya’s government this week approved a $31.4 billion budget for the rest of 2011.
Yet, here in the United States, Senate Democrats like Menendez haven’t even offered a budget proposal, let alone passed one. Menendez’s liberal leaders, Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY), have said that to do so would be “foolish,” and that Democrats do not have the time to propose a budget.
“It speaks volumes that even in the middle of a civil war, the Libyan government has succeeded in doing something that has eluded Senator Menendez and his fellow liberal Democrats for more than two years – passing a budget. And what’s worse, Senator Menendez is now asking Congress to raise the debt limit without any spending reforms and approve another $2 trillion in unchecked spending,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond said today.
As a reminder, Bob Menendez is the only sitting U.S. Senator currently under federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.
By The Numbers – Menendez’s Recent Record In the Senate
778: Days since the Democrat Senate has passed a budget resolution
$3.2 Trillion: Debt accumulated since a budget was last passed
$7.1 Trillion: Total federal spending over that time
$413 Billion: Net interest payments over that time
2024: Projected year that Medicare will go bankrupt
9.1: Percent of workforce currently unemployed
22,462,000: Approximate total number of workers currently unemployed and underemployed
0: Budget resolutions passed by the Democrat Senate this year
0: Senate Budget Committee mark-ups scheduled this year
51: Bills marked up by other Senate Committees this Congress
10.75: Number of hours spent debating and amending budgets and spending bills in the Democrat Senate
86.3: Number of hours spent debating and amending budgets and spending bills in the Republican House
(http://budget.senate.gov/republican/pressarchive/2011-06-06ByTheNumbers.pdf)
