The Senate missed an opportunity to make real progress in reducing the nation’s unsustainable debt, according to U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., who expressed disappointment that members will not be able to work on, amend, or vote on a budget in the Senate Budget Committee today. The budget markup was suspended due to pressure from the majority leader and his caucus. Enzi issued the following comments in his opening statement before the committee: 

“Once again, we’re passing the buck because the majority leader doesn’t want his caucus to have to make politically tough votes. By avoiding these votes, he has been avoiding solutions.  We cannot wait until it is politically expedient to do what must be done. We cannot keep talking about the problems, promising solutions, and then shying away from substantive discussions and votes. 

“We are spending more today than ever before and we are seeing trillion dollar a year increases in the debt. It has led to the situation we currently face – where we are borrowing more than 40 cents on every dollar we spend. 

“This isn’t the way legislation is supposed to work.  We’re supposed to come together and do the hard work in the committee.  We’re supposed to find the areas where we can agree and push them forward. That’s not what we’re doing today.”

Click here to read Senator Enzi’s full opening statement.
Click here to watch video from the committee hearing.
Click here to listen to audio from the committee hearing.