Congress Has a Responsibility to Pass a Budget
Washington, D.C.,
Jan 25 -
From families to small businesses, local governments to large corporations, budgets play an important role. American families follow a budget every year to ensure they have enough money to fill their gas tanks and put food on the table. Small businesses create budgets to monitor the revenue they generate and to ensure their employees receive their paychecks each month.
The Constitution gives Congress responsibility over the federal government’s spending and tax policies. As a former small business owner, I view writing a budget as one of the most basic responsibilities of governing.
However, it may surprise you to learn that the federal government has not had a budget to guide federal spending and tax policies since 2009. This is largely due to the failure of the Democrat controlled Senate to approve a budget for nearly four years.
Americans understand you can’t continue to spend money that you don’t have, but President Obama and Democrats in Congress don’t seem to understand that concept.
The Senate’s failure to provide a plan to address our country’s serious fiscal issues has resulted in our federal government running up an unprecedented amount of debt – as big as the entire U.S. economy. In fact, 46 cents of every dollar spent by our government is now borrowed. Just this year, our country’s debt will increase by yet another trillion dollars. Now is the time for the President and Congress to get serious and put an end wasteful government spending.
The American taxpayers expect their elected officials to do their job, follow the law and pass a responsible budget for the government to adhere to each year. You wouldn’t get paid if you didn’t do your job, and Congress shouldn’t either.
That’s why I supported the No Budget, No Pay Act, which passed the House of Representatives by a bipartisan vote. This bill sends a clear and bipartisan message to the Senate – it’s time to do your job or you don’t get paid. The thinking is simple; if either body of Congress does not pass a budget by April 15, the date the law requires a budget to be enacted by, Members will not get paid. They will not receive their paychecks until they pass a budget.
Senate Democrats must stop ignoring the federal government’s out-of-control spending problem. It’s time for them to pass a responsible budget. Not only is it the law, it’s their job.
We cannot afford to put off the serious discussion on how our government spends money any longer. We must work together to enact real reforms that solve our debt crisis. Let’s put America back on the path to a strong economic future, to a path of growth and prosperity.
