On the recordMarch 21, 2013
Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Alabama for his eloquence in laying out what is at stake in this budget debate we are having and for also pointing out, once again, that the budget before us in the Senate doesn't balance. In a way, the speakers who have been here before on the Democratic side have been talking about another budget. They are talking about a budget that is under consideration in the other House, in the House of Representatives. They are not talking about their budget. I suspect one of the reasons they don't want to talk about their budget is it is a budget that, for all intents and purposes, will hurt economic growth, cost jobs, and lower take-home pay for middle-class Americans because it doubles down on the failed policies of the past 4 years, which have consisted of more spending, more borrowing and more taxes, and that is what this budget is about. I wish to quote something from the Washington Post editorial page in regard to the Democratic budget that is before us. Except for the part about no imminent crisis, the Senate Democratic budget recognizes none of this. They are talking about the challenges we face with regard to the fiscal crisis we are in. Partisan in tone and complacent in substance, it scores points against the Republicans and reassures the party's liberal base--but deepens these senators' commitment to an unsustainable policy agenda.…





