Passing a Congressional Budget

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on leaders in Congress to put forth a congressional budget and allow a meaningful, open debate on the important fiscal issues facing the Nation.

Producing a Federal budget blueprint is one of the most basic responsibilities of Congress. Yet, as of today, no such budget exists.

The failure of presenting a budget to the American people is a failure of leadership by the Democratic majority to govern and a missed opportunity to put forth a budget blueprint that puts our Nation on the path to fiscal responsibility.

Never before in the modern era has the House of Representatives failed to pass a budget; but never before has our Nation seen this type of unprecedented, runaway congressional spending, deficits, and debt.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, the Congress has never failed to consider a budget resolution since the current budget rules were passed in 1974. Yet for the first time in 36 years, the Democratic majority has chosen irresponsibly to avoid the hard budgetary choices New Jersey families and small businesses must make every day.

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