House Democrats Announce No Budget Will Be Passed In 2010
The House Democrats have just handed the GOP another issue to bash them with in the fall.
The House Democrats aren’t going to even try to pass a budget for the upcoming fiscal year:
House Democrats will not pass a budget blueprint in 2010, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) will confirm in a speech on Tuesday.
But Hoyer will vow to crack down on government spending, saying Democrats will enforce spending limits that are lower than what President Barack Obama has called for.
In the scheduled address to the progressive think tank The Third Way, Hoyer will acknowledge that the lower chamber will do things differently this election year.
“It isn’t possible to debate and pass a realistic, long-term budget until we’ve considered the bipartisan commission’s deficit-reduction plan, which is expected in December,” according to Hoyer’s prepared remarks that were provided to The Hill.
The House has never failed to pass an annual budget resolution since the current budget rules were put into place in 1974. Hoyer this spring noted that the GOP-led Congress didn’t pass a final resolution in 1998, 2004 and 2006.
The House will put forth a “budget enforcement resolution” rather than a budget blueprint that looks beyond next year and calculates five or 10 years’ worth of deficit figures.
The House’s “enforcement” — or deeming — resolution will endorse the goals of the president’s fiscal commission and reiterate the commitment to vote on its recommendations after the midterm elections. And it will also set limits on discretionary spending “that require further cuts below the president’s budget,” according to the speech.
“This budget enforcement resolution will enforce fiscal discipline in the near term while the fiscal commission works on a long-term plan to get our country back to fiscal health,” Hoyer’s remarks state.
It seems to me that the Democrats are handing the Republicans a huge political issue here going into the elections. The intricacies of government spending aren’t easy to explain in a 30 second television spot or a stump speech, but the simple fact of a budget sure is. Budgeting is something that every American, or at least every responsible American, does all the time and a Republican talking point that says “The Democrats didn’t even pass a budget this year” seems to me to be one that could have legs going into November.
““The Democrats didn’t even pass a budget this year” seems to me to be one that could have legs going into November.”
Yeah, judging from what else “has legs” in right-wing circles, it would have legs even if the Dems DID pass a budget. We’d just have folks like Zelsdorf Ragsdaf demanding to see the long-form budget, etc….
What makes you confident that right-wingers are even capable of honestly discussing a Democratic budget anyway?
I blame Bush.
But seriously, isn’t this a little more important than the horse race between the Democrats and Republicans? Fiscally speaking, the federal government has gone off the rails and nothing makes this clearer than the inability or unwillingness to even have a budget. Time to read up on personal financial strategies during hyperinflationary periods.
Herb, how long have you been a member of the communist party?
As an owner of multiple businesses over the years, I’ve always said, when you have dire budgetary issues front and center………….what you do is bury it and don’t even publish a budget. Your lenders and stockholders are always OK with that.
Sometimes these public policy issues serve as IQ tests. Herb is looking mongoloid.
Our government won’t even come up w/ a budget much less balance it. Meanwhile, millions of Americans are still unemployed, no new jobs are being created, and the number of people living at or below the poverty level continue to rise. There’s a great link below from the US Social Forum and their Poverty Summit. Real Americans are suffering because Washington refuses to see what’s happening.
http://www.livestream.com/freespeechtv/video?clipId=flv_0186d97d-04ef-4587-b380-cec95c3b1210
I’m a little unclear here. It seems the Democratic leadership is not saying (contra the headline of this post) that there won’t be a budget, but that there won’t be some kind of blueprint for what the budget will look like before they recess for the midterms. I’m not sure what the significance is of that, and this post doesn’t help. Especially with the following head scratching sentence:
“The House has never failed to pass an annual budget resolution since the current budget rules were put into place in 1974. Hoyer this spring noted that the GOP-led Congress didn’t pass a final resolution in 1998, 2004 and 2006.”
I assume this means that in 1998, 2004, and 2006 the Republicans did (or rather, did not do) exactly what the Democrats are contemplating, but still managed to pass a final budget. But what the heck, it’s not a problem if a Republican does it.
Previously, I questioned right-wingers’ ability to be honest about their opponents. After reading a few comments, I must question their ability to be mature as well.
Examples: “Herb, how long have you been a member of the communist party?”
“Herb is looking mongoloid.”
Zels, I was born in 1976. Do the math. Let me help you: I was 15 years old when the Berlin Wall fell. How long have I been a member of the communist party? Exactly zero seconds.
How long have you been calling liberals “communists?” Since 1991? Sincebefore 91? Get some new tricks, bub.
Drew, Are you saying I look Asian? No? I see…such courage.
Or maybe the budget process has been out of control for many years no matter who has been in control of Congress or the White House, but we haven’t faced trillion dollar plus beudget deficits as far as the eye can see before, or had a Congress and an executive that really don’t seem to give a damn about adding ever more deficit spending to enact their progressive social experiments no matter how bad the economy is.
But hey, if we’re lucky, perhaps the cliff we’re headed over can put a stake in the heart of Keynesian economics once and for all.
Bid dollars…BIG, BIG, dollars. With nothing but increases in sight. That’s why there’s no budget being published by the Dems – because it’s a hammer that the Republicans can hit them with until they bleed and, unlike past situations – the Dems can’t share the blame on this one.
Remember – the right is the party of NO. Unless you need someone to share the blame. Then… not so much.
Big dollars…BIG, BIG, dollars. With nothing but increases in sight. That’s why there’s no budget being published by the Dems – because it’s a hammer that the Republicans can hit them with until they bleed and, unlike past situations – the Dems can’t share the blame on this one.
Remember – the right is the party of NO. Unless you need someone to share the blame. Then… not so much.
“…or had a Congress and an executive that really don’t seem to give a damn about adding ever more deficit spending to enact their progressive social experiments no matter how bad the economy is.”
As opposed to a Congress and an executive that really didn’t seem to give a damn about adding ever more deficit spending to enact neoconsevative regime change and nation building experiments…oh, and good luck with killing Keynesian economics…that must be a libertarian’s wet dream…
I see you have gainsaying down pat. Congratulations.
As Keynes said, in the long run we are all dead, so we can kill Keynesian economics or let it kill us.
Herb –
I stand by my comment. Your defense of the indefensible is a de facto IQ test. (Or perhaps one of character and honesty?? You choose, dude.) And no, you don’t look Asian, you look mongoloid.