Thomas E. Petri: “Each and every year since passage of the Budget Reform Act of 1974, this House has managed to produce a budget…”

“Each and every year since passage of the Budget Reform Act of 1974, this House has managed to produce a budget resolution, a document necessary for responsible governing--each and every year except this one. What's the problem? In addition to outlining spending for the year ahead, budget resolutions include plans for multiple years, laying out anticipated spending and revenue and calculating anticipated deficits and surpluses. If the House were to pass a 2011 budget resolution, it would establish as official House policy that we will run enormous deficits for as far as the eye can see, but several Democrats here are reluctant to associate themselves with such an irresponsible document. Of course it's theoretically possible that the current House majority could propose a budget resolution mapping a path back to balanced budgets. But no. Substantial numbers of the Democrats here think we should be spending more, not less. With Members in the majority party pulling in opposite directions, the majority leadership appears to have given up on finding the votes necessary to pass an official budget whether big spending or responsible. This is a failure of mammoth proportions.”