Don Nickles: “I appreciate my colleagues's remarks. He mentioned 60 as a magic number. At this point, 100 is the magic number. So it…”

“I appreciate my colleagues's remarks. He mentioned 60 as a magic number. At this point, 100 is the magic number. So it takes a lot of bipartisan work and cooperation to get things done because right now we have to do a lot of legislation by unanimous consent. I think my statement of gross ineptitude in dealing with the budget process is probably pretty accurate. I was not defining any one Senator, but we have not passed a budget. That is a pretty significant failing. We have passed one every year I have been in the Senate for the last 22 years. It is never easy but is always done. Because we did not get a budget done this year, we do not have the appropriations bills done. It has led to a whole chain of failures. This is the first year--you have to give Congress an F in the appropriations-budget process. We have not sent to the President one appropriations bill, other than a continuing resolution. Not one. I hope we can break that train.”