Providing for Consideration of H. CON. RES. 27, Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2016
Floor Speech
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I thank the gentlewoman from New York.
Mr. Speaker, this is the time of year where we begin to debate our Nation's budget, ostensibly, our plans for the fiscal future of our Nation.
There was a time, far ago in the past, before the invention of the Ryan budget and the Price budgets, when this time of year represented an honest, informed discussion of our different views of the future of our Nation and how to restore fiscal stability.
Since the Ryan budget, though, which says it balances, but doesn't; which includes tax revenue for laws that it says it repeals; which creates fiscal growth out of thin air; this discussion, unfortunately, has devolved into nothing more than political theater.
Somehow, this year, as we consider this rule today on the first ever Price budgets, the process has fallen even further. Gimmicks are being stacked on gimmicks. The Budget Control Act and its caps are law, and everyone on my side of the aisle stands ready to work together to come to a compromise solution that allows for both our domestic spending needs to be met as well as our national security needs.
But that is not the discussion we are having. Instead, we have a budget--or budgets--which completely circumvent common sense and budgetary convention by adding billions of ``base budget'' money to the overseas contingency account, essentially giving President Obama a record slush fund to engage in wars of his choice without consulting the United States Congress.
Those are the Republican plans before you. What we have is a fictional budget. But then, that fictional budget wasn't enough for everyone. So here we are, being asked to pass a rule which looks a lot like the rules you might see at an auction at the county fair. The most votes wins the blue ribbon.
This isn't the county fair. This is the United States Congress. This is our official budget plan of a major American political party for fiscal years 2016 through 2025.
I reject this rule today. We can do better. We can have an honest discussion about our budget priorities and about restoring fiscal stability for the next generation. We deserve a serious proposal rather than this fun and games and gimmicks that we have before us under this rule.
I encourage my colleagues to oppose the rule.
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