The last time the United States Senate passed a budget was three years ago on April 29, 2009. It is a complete outrage that what is supposed to be the greatest deliberative body in the world cannot figure out a fiscally sane budget that will put America back on a path towards prosperity. I have said this before and I will say it again, American families sit around their kitchen tables and make hard choices – why can’t the United States Senate do the same? Can they ever be held accountable for failing the American people? When will the American people demand better?
Nate Beeler / Columbus Dispatch (click to view more cartoons by Beeler)
Nevada Senator Dean Heller has stepped up to the plate and introduced legislation that will hopefully light a fire under his fellow colleagues to pass a budget for the American people. The No Budget, No Pay Act, (S.1981), calls on Members of both Houses of Congress to pass a budget by the start of each fiscal year. If Members of Congress fail in their duties, then they will lose their pay until a budget is finally signed by the President of the United States. This noble piece of legislation will finally hold members accountable, and will no doubt force them to come up with a meaningful budget. All readers should call their Members of Congress and demand support.
Under Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s failed leadership, the Senate has stopped doing the people’s business. Since 2010, Democrats in the United States Senate have not brought one single budget to the floor for a vote. Not one! You would think that since the federal government did not have a budget, spending would decrease. However, looking at the facts, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Since the last budget was adopted in 2009, federal spending has totaled $10.4 trillion. During that same period of time, the national debt has increased by $4.5 trillion – meaning a typical American family would have to pay an additional $39,000 to pay off the national debt.
The United States Senate cannot continue down this road of inaction when it comes to the federal budget. With America’s $15 trillion-plus national debt, it is incumbent upon lawmakers to at least produce a blueprint for how to get out of this fiscal mess. Unfortunately, in my view, the reason Senate Democrats do not want to produce a budget is purely political. They just do not want to make the tough choices that will affect their liberal pocketbook issues. President Obama is also culpable in this charade for not demanding a budget from Congress.
Senator Heller’s legislation is a wake-up call for his fellow colleagues. The current system under which the United States Senate tries to produce a budget is clearly not working. The No Budget, No Pay Act is simply a good government piece of legislation that will finally make lawmakers accountable. America’s spending is out-of-control and our country needs a fiscally responsible budget that will put us back on a sustainable path. The No Budget, No Pay Act is part of that solution.
