Passing Appropriation Bills

Floor Speech

PASSING APPROPRIATIONS BILLS

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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, yesterday marked the beginning of a new fiscal year, when all of our projected spending for the next year ought to have been budgeted and allocated to the appropriate programs and Federal agencies. Unfortunately, we have yet to see a single appropriations bill be sent to the President. Four appropriations bills that have been passed are still in conference: the Homeland Security appropriations bill, the Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs appropriations bill, the State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill, and the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriations bill. But those are stuck in conference and none have been sent to the President for his signature.

What is worse, the remaining eight were never even brought to the floor for consideration by the Senate majority leadership before the end of 2007. One, of course, will be taken up this week--the Defense appropriations bill.

Any business leader or small business owner in America can tell you that entering the fiscal year without an approved budget plan is disastrous policy. But in Washington, we have grown to accept that the Federal Government can basically hold the American taxpayer to a double standard: Do what we say and not as we do. In Washington, we have come to accept that we don't have to budget or pay our bills on time to keep the lights on. Instead, we can pass a law saying it is OK--which we did last week, a continuing resolution, which keeps Government basically on autopilot until November 16 and, as I said, that is a double standard the rest of America is not allowed to meet. Only Congress, only Washington, can do that.

This mentality of fiscal irresponsibility is a disturbing trend. Americans rightly expect us to keep the country running, but to keep it running efficiently and keep it running well, and to be good stewards of the taxpayers' dollars. We can't do that when we legislate on borrowed time and fail to pass any appropriations bills by the end of the fiscal year. Zero for twelve is a dismal average, even for the Senate.

Despite harsh criticisms for failing to pass all appropriations bills last year, the new majority has failed to pass a single appropriations bill when given the chance this year. Passing appropriations bills is ``the most fundamental job Congress is expected to do.'' That is a quote from our colleague, majority whip Dick Durbin, December 2006 in the New York Times.

Senator Harry Reid, the current majority leader, said in May of 2007: ``The `Do-Nothing' Republican Congress failed to pass the appropriations bills.''

Now we find that notwithstanding their promise of new leadership and change, that situation bears all too similar a comparison to what they complained about last year.

But the lack of urgency in passing these bills is only a part of the problem. My colleagues in the majority have used a few appropriations bills that have been brought forward as a vehicle for their political agenda, and increased spending on expanded social programs and pet projects.

As we debated the Defense authorization bill week after week, the majority party delayed the bill's approval by trying to add and, in fact, successfully adding, in some instances, unrelated amendments--amendments dealing with Federal hate crimes legislation, and immigration was even considered during the debate. Ultimately, these tactics wasted valuable time and delayed essential resources our military is counting on.

As each minute, each day, and each week passes by, we come closer and closer to what is known as an omnibus appropriations bill. For those outside the Washington bubble, let me say that ``omnibus'' is sometimes translated as ``grab your wallet.'' An omnibus appropriations bill tends to be loaded down with a lot of excess spending and unrelated pork.

If the appropriations bills we have debated thus far are any measure, we are in for major trouble. The spending proposals--an extra $205 billion on top of the President's budget request over the next 5 years--will force American taxpayers to send even more of their hard-earned pay to the Federal Government. We should instead be working to return their hard-earned money to the American people, or rather allow them to keep it in the first place as much as possible.

Now that we have already missed our own deadline for appropriations, it is time we get serious about these spending bills. I encourage all of my colleagues to join me and vote to pass timely and responsible appropriations bills and reverse this trend of fiscal apathy.

Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

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