[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 34 (Tuesday, March 8, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1339-S1340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               THE BUDGET

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, first let me commend my friend and 
colleague from Louisiana on his observations about the need to increase 
domestic production. I think he certainly agrees with me we will be 
talking about this a lot more in the coming months as the price of gas 
at the pump continues to rise, and I thank him for his insight.
  Sometime this week, Senators will have an opportunity to take a 
position on government spending on two bills the majority leader has 
predicted will fail. One is a serious effort to rein in wasteful 
Washington spending that has gotten completely and totally out of 
control. The other, by our Democratic friends, is a proposal so 
unserious that even its supporters have been forced to exaggerate its 
impacts--something they have been called out on by the press 
repeatedly. That proposal comes on the heels of an equally unserious 
proposal by the White House last week to cut $6 billion from Federal 
spending for the entire year at a time when Washington is averaging 
about $4 billion in deficit spending every day. Let me say that again. 
We are running a $4 billion deficit every single day this year. 
Apparently Democratic leaders in Congress thought even that was too 
much to cut, because the bill they are proposing this week shaves it 
down to only about $4.7 billion. So you had the administration last 
week saying they would go along with $6.5 billion, and the proposal the 
Democrats in the Senate are going to lay before the Senate this week 
only reduces spending $4.7 billion. That is about what we are engaged 
in spending, deficit spending, every single day. We are averaging about 
$4 billion a day in debt this year and Democrats want to cut $4.7 
billion and call it a day. That is their idea of getting serious.
  Washington will add more to the debt this week than they want to cut 
for the entire year, and that is the farthest their leaders say they 
are willing to go. Anything more, they say, is Draconian. I will tell 
you what is Draconian. Draconian is what will happen if Democrats don't 
get real about our Nation's fiscal crisis.
  Yesterday, the independent Congressional Budget Office issued a 
report that gave us a pretty good sense of the recklessness of 
Washington spending these days. Last month alone, the Federal 
Government spent $223 billion more than it had--last month alone--the 
highest monthly deficit ever and the 29th straight month Washington has 
been in the red.
  Here is the Democrats' proposal: Let's cut $4.7 billion and call it a 
day; $4.7 billion, even less than the President called for last week. 
Even that was ridiculed because of the preposterous claim that it met 
us halfway. It is time our friends on the other side stop trying to see 
what they can get away with and actually summon the courage to get our 
fiscal house in order, because here is the hard truth: Even the biggest 
cuts under discussion this week are puny compared to the fiscal 
problems we face in the area of entitlements. It is a pitched battle 
around here over $4.7 billion when we have a $14 trillion debt and more 
than $50 trillion in entitlement promises that Washington cannot keep.
  If Democrats cannot bring themselves to cut $4.6 billion, how are we 
going to get a handle on the big stuff? This is just a dress rehearsal. 
Democrats are going to have to do a lot better than this if we stand a 
chance of getting our Nation's fiscal house in order.
  Frankly, it is embarrassing. The American people deserve better. It 
is time for Democrats in Washington to face facts and, as I said 
yesterday, it is time for the President to get off the sidelines and 
lead because, with each passing day, it becomes clear that Democrats in 
Congress cannot bring themselves on their own to get serious about the 
problems we face. They don't even want to admit these problems exist.
  I yield the floor.
  Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I wanted to know, from a parliamentary 
standpoint, what time remains on the Republican side and when the 
Democrats' time begins.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is 20\1/2\ minutes remaining on the 
Republican side.
  Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, it is my understanding the Republicans 
have finished their time. I ask unanimous consent we start our hour at 
this point.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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