As expected, the U.S. Senate failed Wednesday to pass the House passed budget bill and a substitute amendment offered by Senator David Inouye, D-Hawaii. Neither bill could garner the required 60 votes. The House bill failed by a vote of 44 to 56 and the Inouye amendment failed by a vote of 42 to 58. Present federal funding comes to an end March 18.
Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, responded to the vote, saying the Senate votes emphasize that there are no more excuses for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. His proposal for a mere $4.7 billion in spending reductions is clearly not credible. It’s time for the majority party in the Senate to get real about the federal budget and lead an effort to pass meaningful spending reductions.
Grassley continues to support the House bill, saying that the $61 billion in cuts adopted by the House comes from government spending programs that saw a 24% increase from 2008 to 2010. What’s more, $61 billion is just 0.04% of this year’s $1.5 trillion federal deficit. Grassley noted that forty cents of every dollar spent in Washington today is borrowed.
Powered by iNet Solutions Group ©2011 All Rights Reserved.