Patrick Leahy: “as I listened to the debate on the floor of the Senate, I heard that the budget deficits begin in Congress and not with…”

“as I listened to the debate on the floor of the Senate, I heard that the budget deficits begin in Congress and not with the President. Let's look at the facts. During the Reagan years President Reagan got 99.999 percent of everything he asked for in the budget, including the deficit. In fact, during those years President Reagan vetoed only one appropriations bill. Only one spending bill did President Reagan veto. Why? Because it didn't spend as much money as he had requested. Congress actually had come back with less money than he requested. So he vetoed the bill and asked for more money. So let's just fully understand what happened. It was the same way with the Bush administration. The budget was what the President asked for. But let's assume that it begins here in the Congress. Then, I ask my friends in the Republican majority, where is your budget? You can't have it both ways. You can't say that the budget deficits are the fault of the Congress and those who lead the Congress. Republicans lead the Congress. Where is the budget?”