Black Slams Obama Administration for Missing Budget Deadline, Again

Statement

Congressman Diane Black (R-TN) issued the following statement today on President Barack Obama missing the legally-mandated deadline to submit his budget to Congress for the fourth time in five years.

"The budget deadline is not a suggestion; it is the law. The president's failure to submit a budget on time for the fourth time in five years shows a blatant contempt for the law and a complete lack of seriousness about the greatest threat facing our nation. His rejection of responsible budgeting has resulted in record deficits and put America on a fast track to an opportunity crushing debt crisis. In the president's first term when he eventually got around to introducing a budget, his lack of seriousness was reaffirmed - time and time again - by his budgets that would never balance, add trillions to our national debt and fail to address entitlement reform.

"On the day before the president's budget is due, he is out in the media demanding -- yet again -- more tax hikes. The president can lecture all he wants on fiscal responsibility with misleading calls for tax hikes, but actions -- or in this case inaction -- speak louder than words. On the president's watch, deficits have exceeded $1 trillion for the last four years and more than $5 trillion dollars have been added to our national debt. Unless spending cuts and reforms are made, deficits will continue to exceed one trillion for the foreseeable future in spite of the additional revenue from fiscal cliff tax hikes and Obamacare.

"In each of the last two years, the House Budget Committee has introduced and passed a responsible budget on time. This year we will do the same. To restore fiscal stability and economic prosperity, leaders in Washington have to get serious about spending cuts and entitlement reform. Tough decisions inevitably will have to be made; meeting budget deadlines should not be one of them."

Source