Bill Pascrell: “The refusal of my friends on the other side of the aisle to hold a hearing on the President's budget is an unprecedented…”

“The refusal of my friends on the other side of the aisle to hold a hearing on the President's budget is an unprecedented show of disrespect. The lack of respect I have seen for this President is abominable, it is disgraceful, and it does not represent the American character. Chairman Price of the Budget Committee, Mr. Speaker, recently remarked he wanted to ``save the President the embarrassment'' of having his Budget Director come testify before the Congress. Save him the embarrassment? He should be embarrassed. This is the first time, Mr. Speaker, since 1975 that the Budget Committee has not given the basic courtesy of reviewing the President's budget, regardless of politics, regardless of whether we had a Democratic President or a Republican President, or regardless of whether we had a Democratic Congress or we had a Republican Congress-- since 1975. This crass display of partisanship diminishes the ability of Congress to do its job. It certainly doesn't help us in reaching across the aisle, or maybe I am missing something. Had the committee held a hearing on the President's budget, you would know that it creates opportunity for all, not just those at the top. It invests in growing the economy and ensuring the United States is competitive in the 21st century. Look, we set the parameters in December, just a few months ago, and now what you want to do politically is tell us you can't live within those parameters.…”