[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 36 (Thursday, March 10, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1541-S1542]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RESTORING DISCIPLINE TO THE BUDGET PROCESS

  Mr. INOUYE. Madam President, today our Nation faces a very difficult 
political landscape when it comes to addressing the major challenges to 
our country, such as unemployment and the deficit. The American public 
is demanding that the House and Senate work with the President to 
address these concerns.
  I believe the American people's understandable and growing concern 
over the national debt is shared by every Member of this body. But in 
order for the Congress to address our fiscal crisis, we must fix our 
broken budget process.
  Today, with fiscal year 2011 nearly halfway over, as a result of the 
Congress's inability to finish its work, the Federal Government is 
still operating on stopgap funding designed to avert a government 
shutdown.
  This is no way to govern. Continuing resolutions make it difficult 
for Federal agencies to perform their duties. As the Secretary of 
Defense, Mr. Gates, has stated very clearly, operating under a CR 
places a great burden on the Department of Defense. The same can be 
said for every Federal agency. Our failure to act responsibly makes the 
everyday functioning of government more difficult and less responsive 
to the needs of the American people.
  Moreover, continuing resolutions make a mockery of our constitutional 
responsibility to allocate taxpayer funding wisely. Putting the country 
on budgetary autopilot is simply unacceptable. It is well past the time 
to cast aside the blistering campaign rhetoric of the fall and find the 
means to compromise.
  Many new Members of this body were elected on the promise of a return 
to fiscal responsibility. I would suggest that returning to regular 
order in our budget process is a necessary component to achieve this 
goal.
  The Appropriations Committee produces 12 individual bipartisan 
spending

[[Page S1542]]

bills, but when the Congress fails to act on them through regular 
order, we wind up with a $1 trillion omnibus bill or a $1 trillion 
continuing resolution that cedes the power of the purse to the 
executive branch.
  Neither the most liberal nor the most conservative Member of this 
body should prefer an omnibus or a CR over the regular order in our 
budget process.
  Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with the new 
chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Congressman Hal Rogers 
of Kentucky, to congratulate him on his new position.
  During our discussion, we both agreed that the Congress needs to 
reestablish regular order in the appropriations process. Both Chambers 
need to pass its bills and allow us to work out our differences in 
conference.
  I believe if we adopt this approach, we can do our part to help this 
Nation regain its economic health.
  The first step in the process is the adoption of a budget to provide 
the framework for appropriations bills. The House must step up to the 
plate with a budget that is workable. It cannot hide behind vague 
rhetoric and arbitrary spending caps, and it should not insist upon 
irrational, problematic cuts that would devastate the lives of the 
American people. Likewise, it is imperative that the Senate do its part 
in moving a budget through a responsible and regular order process, 
including the timely adoption of a budget resolution. If a budget 
resolution is not adopted by early May, the appropriations process will 
be delayed. Every week of delay further diminishes our ability to 
finish our work prior to the end of the fiscal year.
  In recent years, all too often appropriations bills have been held 
hostage, as Members offered message amendments, knowing they would not 
pass, while the time needed to complete 12 freestanding bills slipped 
away. By September, we had abandoned any hope of finishing all 12 bills 
as the calendar simply did not give us enough time.
  We Democrats must recognize that regular order cannot exist without 
bipartisan cooperation. Last year, despite the lack of a budget 
resolution, the committee completed almost all of its work, preparing 
11 of the 12 appropriations bills for full consideration in a timely 
manner. However, gridlock on the Senate floor eliminated any further 
progress.
  If a more open amendment process for relevant amendments will enable 
these bills to move forward, we should be open to such an approach even 
if that means taking some uncomfortable votes. This Chamber is split 53 
to 47. Both sides need to give a little bit, and in so doing, it is my 
hope that we can get the bipartisan appropriations process back on 
track.
  Certainly, no Member of this body wants to explain to his or her 
constituents why we have failed yet again to responsibly fund the 
government or ceded our constitutional authority to the administration 
or even why we are unable to work together responsibly to avoid a 
disastrous government shutdown. We must find a way to accomplish the 
tasks the Constitution has assigned to us. To do this, we need a budget 
resolution, we need the House to send over appropriations bills in a 
timely fashion, we need floor time, and we need a willingness to vote 
on amendments. Without these four things, there is no doubt in my mind 
that I will be standing in this Chamber in late September, yet again, 
seeking passage of a continuing resolution in order to avoid shutting 
down the government.
  The House and the Senate need to find a way to work together to pass 
our bills under the regular order and send them to the President. This 
is the only way we can restore discipline to the budget process. It is 
the only way we can maintain our constitutional responsibility to 
determine how taxpayers dollars are spent. It is truly the only way we 
can avoid repeating the catchall spending bills none of us wants.
  I yield the floor, and I note the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Klobuchar). The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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