Patriot Sunsets Extension Act of 2011

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Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, later this morning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address a joint meeting of Congress.

His remarks come at a time of great unrest and instability in the Middle East. So we are all eager to hear his perspective on how our two countries can work together to further our shared interests. Israel is, of course, a great friend and an ally to the United States, and the Prime Minister should be reassured that Israel will not be alone during this time of uncertainty. He should return home knowing that at a time when the Middle East is awash in instability, his relationship with the Congress is strong. We always welcome the Prime Minister to Washington. We are happy to be able to host him today.

LACK OF A BUDGET

Sometime before the end of this week, Democrats in the Senate will have wrapped up their efforts for the current work period and flown home for the Memorial Day recess. So it is not too early to ask what they have accomplished over the past several weeks. More specifically, what have they done about a looming fiscal crisis in the 6 weeks since one of the cochairs of the President's debt commission called it the most predictable crisis in history?

Well, the short answer is not much. Six weeks after the Democratic cochairman of the President's own debt commission told us that our Nation's deficits and debt are like a cancer that threatens to destroy America from within, and nearly a year after the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff declared our debt to be the single biggest threat to our national security, Democrats are ready to call it a work period--after producing no budget, after offering no plan, and with no plan in sight.

Why?

Well, evidently Democrats have decided that avoiding this crisis helps them in the next election. That is why they plan to vote against every budget plan that comes to the floor this week, including the President's.

Democrats are apparently operating under the assumption that if they are on the record opposing everything, it helps them politically. So, in other words, we might not leave here this week with a solution to our nation's looming debt crisis, but Democrats are pretty confident they will leave with some good material for campaign ads.

Here is how the senior Senator from New York put it yesterday in a moment of candor:

``To put other budgets out there is not the point,'' he said, ``This issue will have staying power and be a defining issue for 2012.''

They are not even pretending to put principle over politics here. According to Senator SCHUMER, their focus is on an election that is still almost 2 years away.

Well, my suggestion is that Democrats start thinking about putting their names on something other than an attack ad. They could start with a budget. How about that?

Right now, America is on pace to spend about $1.6 trillion more than it takes in this year. That is three times the biggest deficit we ever had before President Obama took office.

The President's plan is to keep deficits like this in place for years to come.

That is the scenario Admiral Mullen and Erskine Bowles are worried about.

Meanwhile, entitlement spending is growing faster than inflation, meaning sooner or later these programs will either consume all the money we have or these programs are forced to change.

Members of the President's own Cabinet admitted this last week when they signed a report showing that Medicare is running out of money and urging prompt reform of the program.

So the question is not whether these programs need reform, the question is how it is done.

Do we do it now, together, or do we wait until we are absolutely forced to do it? There is no other choice.

Congressman Ryan has shown a lot of courage by proposing a budget that would tackle a big part of the problem. Democrats are showing none by ignoring our problems altogether. This is the contrast Americans will see in the Senate this week.

Republicans will vote on several possible approaches to our fiscal crisis this week, including the Ryan plan.

Democrats will vote against every one.

We will also have a vote on the President's budget, which Democrats also plan to oppose.

They say they prefer the ideas the President outlined in a speech he gave last month. Well, unfortunately, we can't vote on a speech. But if that is what it takes to get Democrats engaged in this debate, maybe we should revisit the rules.

More than 2 years have passed since Democrats have produced a budget of their own. This is a complete and total abdication of their responsibilities as a majority party. And there is no excuse for it.

Every year, Congress appropriates nearly $100 million to support the Office of Management and Budget. This money supports a staff of 529 people. OMB's job is to put together a budget. Why exactly haven't they been able to turn the President's speech into a budget we can vote on? They have had 6 weeks to do it. What is the problem?

If Democrats can't get 529 people to put some numbers together based on the budget plan the President outlined in his speech, then they have problems over there. Either that or Democrats are just looking for excuses so they don't have to vote for anything of their own. And they had rather put together political ads than a solution to this crisis. And this is inexcusable.

We have an obligation to our country to come up with a plan. Democrats are officially abdicating that responsibility this week. But Americans will remember. As the crisis approached, Democrats did nothing.

I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

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