[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 144 (Thursday, September 22, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H5809]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       CHANGING OUR BROKEN SYSTEM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Ribble) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RIBBLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about embarrassment.
  Next week, the Congress of the United States will once again have to 
refer on and go back to funding our Federal Government with an ad hoc 
continuing resolution. Federal law requires the Congress of the United 
States to pass a budget each year. It requires the Congress of the 
United States to pass 12 appropriations bills each year by September 
30, which is coming up next week.
  I came to Congress in 2011, Mr. Speaker. Since then, we have passed 
zero regular order appropriations out of the 72 required by law--zero. 
And yet, we have been able to find some way to pass 20 short-term 
continuing resolution appropriations bills that have no reforms to 
spending, they have no reforms to policy, and we have passed five 
2,000-page omnibus spending bills. Somehow we were able to do those two 
things, but we weren't able to pass 12 simple appropriations bills to 
properly manage the taxpayers' money.
  I have heard it said that Americans are disappointed with Congress. 
In fact, I am a little surprised that we have an 18 percent approval 
rating right now. Maybe we have a lot of family members or some folks 
back home who aren't paying attention to what is going on here.
  We wonder why out of the $3.8 trillion of taxpayer dollars that we 
have received here in the Congress of the United States each year are 
not being managed correctly by the only body that can actually manage 
it. Why in the world aren't they fixing this problem and passing their 
spending bills in regular order in front of the American people where 
they can see it and do it instead of these ad hoc spending bills?
  Mr. Speaker, each year that I have been in Congress, I have authored 
a bill that would change our broken system and begin to fix this system 
that doesn't work. I would propose to you that 0 out of 72 is not a 
very good batting record. It is called the Biennial Budgeting and 
Enhanced Oversight Act. In fact, today, it has 237 cosponsors of the 
majority in this House. When I introduced the bill last year, I 
introduced it with 108 original cosponsors that signed on with me when 
we introduced it.
  That represents, by the way, Mr. Speaker, 50 percent of the whole 
House of Representatives. It represents 63 percent of the elected 
Republican leadership in this House. It represents 29 percent of the 
minority party. Fifty Democrats have joined with Republicans and said: 
we need to fix this broken system.
  Seventy-two percent of the majority party support this reform. Sixty-
eight percent of committee chairmen support this reform. Sixty-seven 
percent of subcommittee chairmen support this reform. Sixty-five 
percent of the Republican Steering Committee, the leadership of this 
House of Representatives, support this reform.
  It was referred to the Budget Committee where 56 percent support this 
reform. It was also referred to the Rules Committee where 54 percent 
support this reform. And yet, there has been no vote on this in the 
House. 237 cosponsors represent 168 million American people whose 
voices have been squashed and been silenced by our lack of inaction.
  Mr. Speaker, I started by saying I want to talk about embarrassment. 
I am embarrassed for the Congress of the United States. I am proud of 
the effort that has been done here, and I am proud of the people and 
Members of Congress who have stood up to finally fix this broken system 
and said: enough is enough.
  I am proud of Senator Enzi and Senator Inhofe over in the U.S. Senate 
trying to advance the same types of reforms there. But I am embarrassed 
for the Congress of the United States. I am embarrassed for our 
leadership. I am embarrassed because we haven't been able to do what is 
right, even though the majority of us agree that this is better than 
what we have, that this is a step forward.
  But I want to tell you, Mr. Speaker, what I am more than embarrassed 
about. I am disappointed. Because the only people in the country that 
can fix this is the Congress of the United States.
  Since 1974, when the Budget Act was put in place, the Congress of the 
United States has failed to pass its budget and its appropriations 
bills required by law every single year for 42 years. They have not 
been able to do it on time even once. Some people will argue that this 
isn't the best fix and may not be the perfect fix, but I will tell you 
right now, Mr. Speaker, it is better than 0 out of 72 for sure.
  I call on the Speaker of the House to bring this bill to the floor 
and let 168 million Americans finally be heard.

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