Kent Conrad: “What I am offering today is a continuation of the budget disciplines that have worked--the budget disciplines that…”

“What I am offering today is a continuation of the budget disciplines that have worked--the budget disciplines that allowed us to move from deficit to surplus. It is critically important that those budget disciplines be extended. I think there is strong support in this body for that proposition. As I have indicated, these points of order, including points of order that protect Social Security, limit total spending and total tax cuts, enforce discretionary spending limits, and committee and subcommittee spending allocations are scheduled to expire on September 30. But unless action is taken starting October 1, it will only take 51 votes to waive most Budget Act points of order. Only 51 votes would be required to raid Social Security, or to exceed discretionary spending limits, or to increase total spending above agreed upon levels, or to cut taxes below agreed upon levels, or to exceed committee spending allocations. Without the extension of these 60-vote points of order, it will become much more difficult to enforce budget discipline in the Senate.”