Marsha Blackburn: “I want to begin my remarks with a couple of comments about the budget process. I think my colleagues could be a little…”

“I want to begin my remarks with a couple of comments about the budget process. I think my colleagues could be a little bit confused on this. I will remind my colleagues that it is this body that every single year meets our statutory duty and our constitutional duty to bring forward a budget that funds the operations of the United States of America. We do not miss our deadlines, and this year, we did it. I know that the White House did their Sweet 16 bracket before they did their budget, but we were still pleased to see that they were willing to participate in that process, and we were pleased that our friends in the Senate, for the first time in 5 years, decided they would enter into the budget process. We were very disappointed, quite frankly, when they said they would not move to the conference table with us until we agreed to a tax increase. That is what they want--an agreement to a tax increase in this kind of economy and with about 8 percent unemployment and with 20 million Americans either un- or underemployed? They want more taxes-- more control over people's lives? We were not willing to do that. We are continuing to stand and fight for the American people--for responsible government, for getting this budget balanced within the next decade, and for getting this country back on the road to fiscal health.…”