October 02, 2015
"to elevate the condition of men--to lift artificial weights from all shoulders, to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all, to afford all an unfettered start and a fair chance, in the race of life."
--Abraham Lincoln
Seventy-two days. That’s how long Congress gave itself, according to the terms of the Continuing Resolution approved this week, to pass government-funding legislation for fiscal year 2016. Now the question is: how will we use this time?
It appears that congressional leaders – in both chambers and from both sides of the aisle – are preparing to use these seventy-two days to try to negotiate a budget deal with the White House that would establish top line government-spending levels for the next year, maybe two.
Some have said that these negotiations are necessary in order for Congress to return to the regular-order appropriations process next year. This is pure fiction. And it's exactly the kind of excuse-making that the American people are sick and tired of seeing from their elected officials in Washington.
Congress doesn’t need to wait for a select few of its members to emerge from back-room, closed-door negotiations with the White House in order to fund the government through regular order.
We can – and we should – use these seventy-two days to take up, debate, and vote on each of the twelve appropriations bills, one at a time, through which the government is supposed to be funded.
Some will object to this idea, saying it will never work because Senate Democrats have vowed to block every appropriations bill from consideration. But this lets the obstructionists off the hook too easily. The only way the American people will ever know whether the Senate Democrats care as little about our health care, education, and welfare programs as they do about our defense budget is if Senate Republicans call their bluff and bring up individual appropriations bills, one by one, through regular order.
Others will say that seventy-two days isn’t enough time for Congress to bring up and debate all twelve appropriations bills. That may be true, but only if we continue with our three-day work weeks.
Appropriating taxpayer money to fund the federal government is one of the most important duties of Congress. No one said it’s supposed to be an easy or enjoyable process. But it’s the job we were elected to do. And the only responsible, fair, and democratic way to do it is through regular order.
It’s time for members of Congress to follow the example set by the American people. When most people face a major deadline or a big project at work, they don’t search for excuses or tricks to avoid responsibility. They don’t bend the rules looking for the easy way out. No, they buckle down and do what it takes to get the job done. They work overtime. They work weekends. They stay up late and then get up early the next day... whatever it takes.
This is one of the things that makes America great – the work ethic and can-do attitude of our people.
This week Congress gave itself seventy-two days to get our work done. Now, we’re down to seventy. The clock is ticking. It’s time for us to follow the lead of the American people and get to work.
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