The president decided to lambaste the Democratic congressional majority this morning in his weekly radio address, accusing lawmakers of failing to do their duty when it comes to annual spending bills.
“Democrats in Congress are also behind schedule passing the individual spending bills needed to keep the Federal government running. At their current pace, I will not see a single one of the 12 must-pass bills before Congress leaves Washington for the month-long August recess. The fiscal year ends September 30th. By failing to do the work necessary to pass these important bills by the end of the fiscal year, Democrats are failing in their responsibility to make tough decisions and spend the people’s money wisely.
This moment is a test. Under our Constitution, Congress holds the power of the purse. Democratic leaders are in control of Congress. They set the schedule for when bills are considered. They determine when votes are held. Democrats have a chance to prove they are for open and transparent government by working to complete each spending bill independently and on time.”
Yes, it’s outrageous when Congress fails to pass each spending bill on time, isn’t it? Why, it seems like just last year that a Republican House, Republican Senate, and Republican White House were so dysfunctional, that they failed to pass hardly any of the necessary spending bills. Oh wait, that was just last year.
Republicans intend to conclude the 109th Congress this week and leave Democrats stuck with the tab in the form of unfinished spending bills as the days of Republican rule draw to a close on Capitol Hill.
Congressional leaders said election losses had sapped Republican enthusiasm for trying to finish nine spending measures that were due Oct. 1. Congress will instead pass a stopgap measure to keep the government running until mid-February, leaving the fiscal tangle for the new Democratic majority to sort out next year.
Following Bush’s reasoning, Republicans failed in their responsibility to make tough decisions and spend the people’s money wisely. I wonder why he didn’t complain about this a year ago?
Apparently, all of this is part of a new White House meme: congressional Dems aren’t passing enough bills for Bush’s satisfaction.
The White House has said the failure of a broad immigration overhaul was proof that Democratic-controlled Capitol Hill cannot take on major issues. “We saw this with immigration, and we’re seeing it with some other issues where Congress is having an inability to take on major challenges,” said spokesman Tony Fratto.
Let’s unpack this a bit.
First, the immigration bill failed because the president’s party splintered and the president’s base killed the legislation. Fratto pointing the finger at “Congress” is silly; lame-duck Bush couldn’t even rally half of his own Senate caucus.
Second, Democrats aren’t struggling to “take on major challenges”; they’re struggling to overcome Republican obstructionism. If the Bush gang doesn’t like it, they should call McConnell’s office and tell the GOP to start allowing up-or-down votes.
Third, the White House has a lot of nerve whining to reporters about Dems’ agenda. How many “major challenges” has Bush tackled in his second term? How many pieces of the president’s agenda have become law? Does the White House even have a policy agenda anymore?
These guys are desperate, and they don’t wear it well.
Post Script: The AP headline on the story on Bush’s radio address reads, “Bush rips Democratic lawmakers’ failures.” Apparently, the AP was short on time, so the editors just let Karl Rove write the headline for them.