On the recordMarch 10, 2011
It is time once again for us to get down to business. Yesterday's budget votes didn't bring us any closer to a conclusion, but it did bring to our minds a lesson, and it does that very clearly. That lesson is that one party alone will not reach a resolution without the other's cooperation and consent. We voted on the Republican budget proposal and on the Democratic budget proposal. Neither plan came close to the 60 votes needed to pass or even the 51 votes which would represent a majority of the Senate. But the exercise wasn't in vain. We have demonstrated publicly and on the record that we know the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Now it is time to find that answer in a budget that will reflect our values, keep the country running, and create jobs. I can speak only for my caucus when I say we accept the lessons of yesterday's vote. We know we will have to make sacrifices to reach consensus, and we are willing to do that. Republicans have to be willing to move their position also. Perhaps they are willing to finally acknowledge that, given our deep debt, we can't afford government giveaways to millionaires and oil companies making record profits. Both acknowledgments would help close the deficit gap. Both would be big pieces to the puzzle. Perhaps Republicans are willing to offer more reasonable cuts that the Democratic caucus can support.
