The United States Senate has adjourned for the day. It is July 22, about 10 days or so before the Federal Debt Limit is hit, an unspeakable event according to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). According to Senator Reid, it is all the fault of the House Republicans and probably President Bush too. In his opinion, if the newspaper is late, it is Bush’s fault. This was the day a few weeks ago accordingly to the White House that agreement had to be reached. It was the drop dead date. The next vote in the Senate will occur no sooner than 5pm Monday July 25.
Two weeks ago, Senator Reid made a grandstand play by announcing the Senate would not take its July 4th break and indeed they did not. He said, the Senate would stay to solve the debt crisis. They did not. The Senate was in session from Tuesday after the 4th but ended up discussing Libya and other such important national matters. However, there was no such resolution or even a serious vote on any fiscal issues. Don’t you get tired of that kind of stuff?
There is more. Today, the Senate convened at 9 am and resumed consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R.2560, the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2011. This is the bill that passed the House of Representative a few days ago. The bill may be symbolic and one-sided but it is a legitimate piece of legislation passed by a majority of elected Representatives. Senator Reid called the bill, something to the effect, the worse piece of legislation to be ever considered by the Senate. I can think of others, many of them on his watch.
The Senate in a pure partisan fashion voted to table the House bill. What that means is that the bill was never even considered. Instead of amending it, debating it, voting on it. It was just not considered. So-Be-It. This is from a great legislative body that has not passed a budget in 2 years. A body that has not voted on any substantive fiscal plan much less put one forth. I suggest that instead of going away for the next 3 days, the Senate should be in session, considering something to address the Federal Debt Limit. The action taken by Senator Reid is irresponsible. In going home, he forfeits the right to call anything the worse of anything when he refuses to do anything at all.
Next week is an important week. I have been very optimistic for months the Congress will increase the Debt Limit. It probably will do so but without any meaningful, enforceable spending cuts. Things have gotten so muddled; the odds may not be much more than 50-50.