Tuesday, January 24, will mark the 1,000th day since the U.S. Senate has passed a budget—an egregious dereliction of duty on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D–NV) watch. By enacting continuing resolution upon continuing resolution (short-term measures to keep the government running, spending money at the current rate), the Senate has taken a pass on leading, all to the detriment of the poor and middle class.
The budget process forces Congress to set priorities to protect the people’s money and put it to its appropriate use. Instead, the Democrat-controlled Senate has abdicated its responsibility. The result? The deficit is soaring, causing a looming tax burden and injecting uncertainty into the economy, leaving jobs and economic growth on the table. It’s no wonder the U.S. economy’s growth is so tepid.
As the 1,000th day nears, here are some facts about America’s budget and why the Senate must take action to be stewards of the people’s money as the Constitution requires:
- The last time the Senate passed a budget was on April 29, 2009.
- Since that date, the federal government has spent $9.4 trillion, adding $4.1 trillion in debt.
- As of January 20, the outstanding public debt stands at $15,240,174,635,409.
- Interest payments on the debt are now more than $200 billion per year.
- President Obama proposed a FY2012 budget last year, and the Senate voted it down 97–0. (And that budget was no prize—according to the Congressional Budget Office, that proposal never had an annual deficit of less than $748 billion, would double the national debt in 10 years and would see annual interest payments approach $1 trillion per year.)
- The Senate rejected House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R–WI) budget by 57–40 in May 2011, with no Democrats voting for it.
- In FY2011, Washington spent $3.6 trillion. Compare that to the last time the budget was balanced in 2001, when Washington spent $1.8 trillion ($2.1 trillion when you adjust for inflation).
- Entitlement spending will more than double by 2050. That includes spending on Medicare, Medicaid and the Obamacare subsidy program, and Social Security. Total spending on federal health care programs will triple.
- By 2050, the national debt is set to hit 344 percent of Gross Domestic Product.
- Taxes paid per household have risen dramatically, hitting $18,400 in 2010 (compared with $11,295 in 1965). If the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts expire and more middle-class Americans are required to pay the alternative minimum tax (AMT), taxes will reach unprecedented levels.
- Federal spending per household is skyrocketing. Since 1965, spending per household has grown by nearly 162 percent, from $11,431 in 1965 to $29,401 in 2010. From 2010 to 2021, it is projected to rise to $35,773, a 22 percent increase.
Despite all of these blatant red flags, the Senate has utterly failed to execute the most basic, fundamental function of governance at the worst possible time—when the country’s fiscal house is in disarray, the U.S. credit rating is in continual jeopardy, entitlement spending is ballooning, defense spending is on the chopping block, and the economy is in shambles.
One thousand days without a budget is an embarrassing number, but the level of spending, deficits, and taxation that results from the Senate’s failure to exact even a modicum of fiscal discipline is terrifying. Senator Reid has said it would be “foolish” to pass a budget, but failing to pass it is proving to be beyond irresponsible. The middle class will be left holding the bag, paying for the Senate’s reckless negligence with soaring deficits, higher taxes, and a weak economy as far as the eye can see.
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So who's waiting for what and when to fire people in charge,did obama not say he was in charge since the start,THIS IS TOTALY UNACCEPTABLE.
They should not be paid, or allowed to leave the Senate building until a budget is passed. Senator Menendez, democrat NJ, is up for reelection in November. I am working to defeat him and President Obama. These democrats are bankrupting our country, undermining the Constitution, decimating our military, and stealing billions in taxpayer dollars to pay off their contributors. THEY MUST BE DEFEATED!
You are right. They should not be paid, And all the vacations of Obama should be charged back to him.
This country is one step from Hell The public shall arm them selves and have another tea party.
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I say it' time to throw the BUMS out and put someone in the can and will do the job that they were sent there to do .
The first thing the people should do is stop paying the Senators until they do thier jobs.
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And nobody in the mainstream even cares.
One more reason to clean house in November!
The biggest fact about the budget? The Senate is where Five-Year Plans, (I mean budgets), go to die.
Harry Reid and the Democratic Party should hang their heads in shame.
Harry Reid and the Democratic Party should hang their heads in shame.
Embarrassing, they 've broken laws, committed treason against tax payers, all their personal assets ought to be taken to repay for their theft.
when did social security start.. lets seize assets that far back
Tuesday, January 24, will mark the 1,000th day since the U.S. Senate has passed a budget—an egregious dereliction of duty on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D–NV) watch……
Take a look at the model state. Illinois has driven most business out of the state with crazy taxes on all businesses , raised income taxes by nearly double and has one of the highest migration rates of anywhere in the country.
Makes me sick
The GOP must hammer this home in this years election. Obama and his party has failed in passing a budget in 3 out of the 4 years of his 1st and only term as President. Combined that with the fact that they have also spent this Country into a very precarious position that we may never be able to get out of.
And why do the democrats in the senate leave Harry Reid as their leader. What is the driver for them to follow this man into the depths of debt.
All Senate Democrats should be voted out of office. Conservatives should turn Obummer's "Do-nothing Congress" into "Do-nothing Democrat Senate". They refuse to do pass their most important item, a budget, for three years. Astounding. They all voted for ObamaCare, and against balancing the budget.
23 Democrat Senators are up for re-election in 2012. Over half are in trouble or are retiring. Seven have decided not to run – Akaka, Bingaman, Conrad, Kohl, Lieberman, Ben Nelson, and Webb. Three Republican Senators up for re-election are retiring. 2012 is a great opportunity to boost the Republican 47 seats in the Senate.
We really don't get it. In the eyes of Obama and the Dems, the Senate has not failed. It had great success
because it's forcing this nation's economy into such debt that our childern's childern could never repay it. Again, we must realize this is deliberate. This is the way our nation will be driven into Obama's dream of total socialism.
If you want to discuss 'do nothing congress' – what about the waste of a House:
…Statistically speaking. The 112th Congress has had few real accomplishments on the legislative front: An overhaul of patent laws, three trade agreements, a contentious payroll tax cut package and the annual defense authorization law headline a paltry list of 80 laws, 20 percent of which either named a federal building or appointed a trustee to a federally appointed board. It’s the fewest number of laws created by the first session of a Congress since at least 1959.”
– Politico, 1/20/12
Steve,
It's really telling that you consider the number of new laws passed by either the House or Senate to be a measure of congressional success. I hazard a guess that I speak for 99.9% of the followers of this website when I say that the number of laws repealed (in other words, how many freedoms were restored) would be a better measure of success.
More laws certainly don't help the economy either – try running a business.
So from that perspective, the House is a success this term because it is trying to drag the destruction to a halt by NOT passing more laws.
Why do you think more laws is the goal? Are you that frigid you need to know exactly what to do only if it's in the book of laws? Only so many laws are needed where accountability stands. the more laws created the more corrupt laws become. laws should be equally applied in regard to societal and environmental areas and business laws. It's called civil. One goal of this house which they are doing a tremendous job, is forcing their energy in cleaning up the filth from the dereliction of the senate.
Steve, Be Very Glad. That is that many less laws to take more of your freedom away.
"Budget? We don' need no stinkin' budget! The mint still has printing presses!"
As long as Reid/BHO pass no budgets, they can spend all the money they want with no questions asked under continuing resolutions.
You are always doing a really great job http://goo.gl/KkZpA
The President and Congress never mentions paying down the debt. Assuming the $15.3 trillion debt and paying it over 30 years would require a payment of $510 billion per year. Add budgeted interest charges of $225 billion and the total annual payment for principal and interest is $735 billion. They are bankrupting the nation, they are underwater and the collateral is the United States
bho has been very successful in his endeavors to emasculate the American citizens. American exceptional-ism has been brutally attacked by bho. All conservatives (and libertarians) need to find and elect local and state conservatives as well as more conservatives to the house and senate. Have we sunken so low that we will allow this travesty to continue?
for some reason the down load bar keeps flashing?
Mr. Reid must be proud of his democrat dereliction demise. Why are democrats paid by the monies of the livelihoods they're destroying? And why are Americans making ignorance and incompetence a high paying job?
"Taxes paid per household have risen dramatically, hitting $18,400 in 2010 (compared with $11,295 in 1965)." Are those figures adjusted for inflation? Also, the top tax rate in 1965 was 70% vice the 35% we have now.
It would have to be adjusted – the average household in1965 would not have made anywhere near $11,295/yr.
I urge everyone to contact his or her Senator and post this list in the message and ask them what are they doing if not addressing this issue and ask them to explain why we are still paying them.
A suggested campaign slogan for 2012:
Obama '08
Oh BUMMER '09
O' TRAUMA for generations
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Mr Brownfield. According to Sen. Mary Pryor(D) of Arkansas during an interview on Fox News, he claims a budget was passed in the form of the 2011 Budget Law. He also states that president Obama signed into law sometime late summer 2011. Is this true? And if so why has this never been published? Also could the US Senate by pass the House of Representatives in passing such a bill without the House approval?
Hey guys! I have a question: If the Senate has not passed a budget since 2009, then what was the fiasco back in April, with the government shutdown threat, all about? I was reading the Wikipedia article on the subject, 2011 United States federal budget, and it says that from October 1st, 2010 (which is the beginning of fiscal year 2011) to April 15th, 2011, Congress was operating all on continuing resolutions. It then goes on to say that on April 15th, the day the last continuing resolution was up, Congress passed Public Law 112-10, the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011.
While Wikipedia claims this law is the budget for 2011, I understand that cannot be the case since the last budget they passed was back in 2009. If someone could straighten me out on this, I would greatly appreciate it!
I can't even put into words the disgust I feel about this whole budget disaster. I cannot get my mind around the numbers. It seems there is nothing that can stop this. I can't adequately describe my feelings about this government and the President who are destroying our conntry.
How many times have you heard about a do nothing Congress? Wouldn't the correct wording be the do nothing Democratically controlled Senate. The House has passed numerous budget bills that have been tabled by the Senate. For over a 1000 days, the Senate has refused to do it's constitutional job of passing a budget. Their refusal is because they know their reelection would be in jeopardy if they did. Their intentions would be in black and white and available for public scrutiny which terrifies them. They are fully aware that the destructive path they would like to lead this country would be rejected. Democrats have to hide their hand and keep those who vote for them fooled into believing that they are looking out for them. The truth is they are looking out for themselves. Vote them out!
Senator Reid, Placed the Healthcare Bill on his desk, for others(D) to come to his office and look at it and only there where it stayed under his Caring Paternal-like Protection…and Republicans were restricted from being able to comment , change, or even see the Bill ….CONTRAST with his utter refusal to Pass a Budget now for a RECORD 3 years…WHY IS THIS NOT NEWS?? every DAY??
IRAQ was on News Daily, and DEATH COUNTS on TV DAILY, and now nare a peep. Even the media cannot keep Ignoring and excusing this specific issue much longer. Elections tend to bring all the Problems to the surface, but this should have never been allowed to not be on the Nightly News Every Night, period!
Congress is broken, and this will be a good place to start UN-clogging the log jam. HOLD NEVADA TO THE FIRE…get your act together America while this is still FIXABLE
http://action.nolabels.org/issue/no-budget-no-pay…
No Budget, No Pay Act. Write your congressmen to co-sponsor the bill and get it passed.