Russ Feingold: “the Senate began its debate on budget discipline on the supplemental appropriations bill, but we left our work undone.…”

“the Senate began its debate on budget discipline on the supplemental appropriations bill, but we left our work undone. Today, we are here to finish the job. On the supplemental appropriations bill, the Senate debated a 5-year budget process extension that my colleague, Senator Gregg, and I offered. Regrettably, that amendment failed on a tie vote. The Senate also began to debate an amendment by Chairman Conrad that would have extended some of the budget process for a more limited time. That amendment fell on a point of order. We are left, therefore, with a budget process that expires on September 30 of this year, less than 3½ months from now. Unless we act before then, the process will fail to constrain the government from deficit spending. And unless we act, the process will fail to protect the Social Security trust funds from being used to fund other government spending. Thus, Senator Conrad and I have come to the floor with a compromise proposal.”