[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 171 (Wednesday, December 4, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H7455]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NONEXISTENT REPUBLICAN BUDGET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. KAPTUR. So, here is a ``Jeopardy'' question for you, Mr. Speaker:
  How many days is the Republican majority now overdue in getting its 
work done to produce a budget for the Nation for 2014?
  Our Nation needs a budget to operate the Government of the United 
States for the upcoming year, and by law, April 15 was the deadline by 
which the budget was to have been completed, but that hasn't happened. 
Now it is December 4, so that means that their bill is 234 days 
overdue. In fact, technically, the Federal fiscal year began on October 
1. The majority's bill is actually 7 months and 20 days overdue. A 
parking ticket that old might land you in jail. Not making your car 
payments for 7 months might likely result in your car's being 
repossessed, right? The Budget Committee is supposed to finish its one 
bill by April 15, but it just can't seem to find a way to do it.
  Then, if it were to have done that, the Appropriations Committee, 
which depends on the Budget Committee for a total budget number, could 
get its work done to produce not just the one but the 12 bills it is 
mandated to move through to passage to run the Federal departments of 
the Government of the United States of America--everything from the 
Forest Service, to the veterans' clinics, to the Social Security 
Administration, department after department.
  The American people are waiting for this House, led by the Republican 
majority, to get the job done of producing the 2014 budget. America 
doesn't need any more beauty pictures of committee chairs prancing and 
posturing in front of cameras. They need to go into the committee rooms 
and get the work done. The majority is 234 days overdue. Tomorrow, it 
will be 235 days overdue.
  My goodness. There are only 26 days left in this calendar year. Even 
Santa Claus must be shaking his head in disbelief. Talk about running 
the ship of state aground. Let the majority produce the budget bill. It 
is way over time.
  Don't hold up our Republic anymore. You are 234 days overdue, and we 
are all counting.

                          ____________________