Orrin Hatch: “I want to take a few moments to discuss a pressing matter. In a few hours, the Senate will take up another short-term…”

“I want to take a few moments to discuss a pressing matter. In a few hours, the Senate will take up another short-term continuing resolution to fund the government for fiscal year 2011. Earlier this month, I voted no on another short-term CR. From my perspective, the spending reductions provided in that bill were a start, but they sent a bad sign. Washington needs to make clear, to citizens and to the markets, that it is serious about restoring the fiscal integrity of the United States. Don't get me wrong, any spending reductions are good spending reductions. But by getting into the habit of passing continuing resolutions rather than long-term funding bills with significant reductions in government spending, Congress and the White House send the signal that real spending restraint is impossible. The spending reductions in the last CR were a start, but they simply did not go far enough to bring fiscal sanity back to Washington. Unfortunately, in this opening volley in the debate over spending--to borrow from the former coach of the Arizona Cardinals, Denny Green--Democrats have shown that they are what we thought they were. The rest of the world heard voters loud and clear last fall. Voters want spending restraint from Washington. Republicans told voters that Democrats could not be trusted on spending. And Democrats are still making our case.…”