With so much going on, it’s easy to forget the Republican House, Republican Senate, and Republican White House can’t pass a federal budget. The budget was due over two months ago, but they still haven’t been able to get their collective act together.
A deep rift in the Republican Party has left Congress unable to pass a budget this year, raising the probability that, for the third time in three decades, lawmakers will not agree on a detailed blueprint for government spending and tax policy.
The budget meltdown was triggered by a feud between conservative Republicans who favor continuing to cut taxes in the face of record budget deficits and GOP moderates who are pushing for curbs on tax cuts and are reluctant to slash spending. Even a face-saving effort in the House to impose federal spending curbs blew up just after midnight Friday when 72 Republicans joined a united Democratic Party to torpedo the leadership-backed bill.
So, using an item from last week’s New Republic, let’s stroll down memory lane to see what Republicans were saying in 2002 when then-Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) had similar problems pulling a majority together on a federal budget.
“For the first time since 1974 the Senate has failed to pass a budget resolution. This is embarrassing and a bit disgraceful,” moaned Kentucky Republican Jim Bunning in June 2002.
Daschle had to work with a one-seat majority, a GOP House led by Tom DeLay, and the Bush White House. Now, with the Republicans controlling everything, they have no excuse. So, Sen. Bunning, if Daschle’s troubles were “a bit disgraceful,” are the GOP’s ongoing budget problems very disgraceful?
Of course, Bunning wasn’t the only one condemning Daschle two years ago.
An October memo on the “Dismal Daschle Senate” from the Senate Republican Policy Committee cited the missing resolution among “the litany of failures on Daschle’s doorstep.”
Here’s the real gem:
Daschle’s then-GOP counterpart, Trent Lott, summed up the argument this way: “Passing a budget is the most fundamental task of a legislative majority. Show me something which more clearly defines that you are in control, that you are leading, that you are governing than making the hard choices and building the coalitions, and rallying support for your budget plan.”
Couldn’t agree more, Trent. Of course, using his argument, this makes it quite obvious that the GOP is fundamentally incapable of governing with a legislative majority, clearly out-of-control, failing to lead, and incapable of making the hard choices.
It’s great of Sen. Lott to explain all of this so well for us.