How have we not passed a budget in 800 days?

[Skink]

[checks-n-balances]

1. It was put off until debt ceiling "crisis" (now)?

Just a guess.

[former9thward]

3. The debt ceiling has nothing to do with a budget.

Even if it is raised we still will not have a budget.

[LongTomH]

2. Two words.........

Fuckin' Republicans!:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

[Proud Liberal Dem]

4. Nothing more really needs to be said

n/t

[former9thward]

5. That is not the only answer.

No budget was passed when we controlled both the House and Senate for two years.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

7. Hmmm... THAT'S WRONG!!

I work for the federal government, and a budget was passed for FY10. I'm still managing budget items under the FY10 Appropriations. It was the passage of FY11 that was the subject of the government shutdown. A stopgap FY11 was passed earlier this year to prevent a shutdown.

Note: Democrats tried to pass an FY11 budget before the lame duck session and after the 2010 Elections. Their proposal was blocked by the Republicans in the Senate.

*sighing*

[oldhippie]

8. Remember that the Budget Bill and the Appropriations Bill ......

... are two different things. One can pass without the other, and often do.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

10. Budget bill acts simply as a supplemental. The Appropriations Bill is merely comprised

of the 13 different "appropriations" budget areas that must be addressed to keep the government opened and functioning. It's known as the Omnibus Bill.

The budget bill is definitely related and yes, is different. Democrats tried to pass a budget bill last fall but that was blocked. They had already tried to push the Omnibus bill before, but it was also blocked.

It doesn't matter whether or not it was a budget supplemental or an Omnibus. The point is that the Democrats tried to do something, and their actions were blocked.

[oldhippie]

16. No, the Budget Bill doesn't act simply as a supplemental....

The budget Bill (actually it's a resolution)serves as a blueprint for the actual appropriation process. The budget resolution establishes various budget totals, allocations, entitlements, and may include reconciliation instructions to designated House or Senate committees. It doesn't have anything to do with a supplemental.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budget_resolution

I was also a Federal Employee for forty years, and passed the Comptroller Certification some years ago. I am quite familiar with the difference between the budget and appropriations processes.

[former9thward]

11. Hmmm...You're wrong

No budget was passed when Democrats controlled the House and Senate in 2009 to 2011. Pelosi could have passed any budget she wanted because there is no filibuster in the House. Nothing was passed (or presented).

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

15. And you can't read. I stated that the Democrats attempted to get a budget passed

but was blocked by the Senate!!

Reading comprehension is essential!

[former9thward]

19. And you are making shit up!

Budgets start in the House -- see Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution if you don't believe me. No budget was either proposed, voted on or passed in the two years 2009-2011.

[Zywiec]

23. Do you have the house bill number? n/t

[kelly1mm]

14. Spending bills like the budget have to originate in the House. The House,

under Democratic control failed to pass a budget before or after the 2010 elections. The rational was that the Repubs would filibuster in the Senate. However, nothing the Repubs could do would have stopped Speaker Pelosi from passing a budget.

[Obamanaut]

18. The rationale is that because of what one group 'might' do (filibuster, in this case) the

other group does nothing?

Makes sense to me.

[kelly1mm]

20. I don't think it made sense either. One of Nancy Pelosi's biggest failures IMO. nt

[Skink]

21. That's what I thought

Now that I think about it why have a buget at all if we have a system of paygo. Government is not like a family tightening its belt in hard times.

[ThomThom]

13. When was the last budget passed? 2008?

[Zen Democrat]

6. Because the Republicans are holding tight to their budget to end Medicare.

That's called an impasse. I hope to God that the Senate continues to reject that budget. It's another hostage situation. The Republicans have no other arrows in their quiver.

[Imajika]

9. Nonsense...

The House Republicans passed their budget - the radical Ryan budget actually. The Senate Democrats could pass their own budget, they've just chosen not to. The fact that our Democrats in the Senate have not passed a budget in 800 days has not one thing to do with the GOP.

The truth is, it's all politics. Budgets are always controversial so rather than dealing with a budget that has cuts and tax increases, the Senate Democrats have chosen to punt and not put any of their members in a precarious position or make them vote on anything tough. They just wait till the end of the year and pass a CR to fund the government and all the negotiations about what goes in it are hashed out behind closed doors. Probably good politics, but it's a pretty spineless way of doing things.

[EC]

12. Republican leadership decided they wanted to

attach the budget to the debt ceiling fight long ago,(right after 2010 elections)so they just kept kicking down the road.

[Obamanaut]

17. There was not one last year, just a bunch of 'continuing resolutions.', despite

Dems having the House, the Senate, and the WH.

What with elections being held only every two years, I recall the Dems had the House, the Senate, and the WH the previous year as well.

[lunatica]

22. One side refused to play