On the recordMarch 7, 2011
budgets and votes have something very important in common: At their heart, both require and reflect tough choices. Tomorrow we hope the Senate will vote on the Republican response to the President's budget. That is the so-called H.R. 1. Not only is the United States now focused on it, but the entire world is as well. Then we will vote on the Democratic response. Everyone has done the math and everyone knows how these votes will turn out. It is likely neither proposal will pass, which means neither will reach the President's desk, and we will go back to square one, back to the negotiating table. But tomorrow's votes are still significant. Just as our budget--that is, how we invest taxpayer money and invest our resources--reflects our values, so will the votes cast on these two competing measures. They will show us which Senators are serious about fortifying our long-term future and which are more concerned with scoring short-term political points. These votes will show us who wants an easy applause line and who wants to strengthen our Nation's bottom line. As the two parties' vastly different proposals make clear, there is a fine line between a responsible budget and a reckless budget. The Republican plan we will vote on tomorrow is the same plan the tea party already pushed through the House of Representatives. It is called H.R. 1. Now the same tea party is trying to push it through the Senate.
