Montana’s U.S. Senator Steve Daines took to the Senate floor to urge significant reforms to Congress’ budget process, criticizing the body for its consistent failure to adhere to established budget guidelines. Daines highlighted Congress’s neglect of the Budget Control Act and its ongoing inability to pass all 12 appropriations bills by the September 30 deadline.
“In my decade of service, I’ve witnessed Congress struggle with many challenges, but the most persistent issue has been our failure to follow our own budget process,” Daines stated. He emphasized that this dysfunction has led to widespread frustration among Montanans, who feel Congress is not fulfilling its responsibility to manage public funds wisely.
Daines pointed out that the last time all appropriations bills were enacted on time was in 1997. He criticized the reliance on Continuing Resolutions, which have been used 200 times since 1977, resulting in a pattern of last-minute funding and often wasteful spending.
“This broken budget process has created uncertainty and exacerbated the federal government’s out-of-control spending,” Daines said. He noted that the Congressional Budget Office estimates a $2 trillion deficit for the current year, with projections indicating total deficits of $22.1 trillion over the next decade.
Calling for accountability, Daines proposed that members of Congress should not receive pay if they fail to pass all appropriations bills on time. He also emphasized the need for bipartisan cooperation to address both discretionary and mandatory spending, which accounts for nearly 70 percent of federal expenditures.
Daines urged his colleagues to embrace reforms that would allow for a more effective budget process, including possibly shifting to a two-year budget cycle. He called on both sides of the aisle to work together and ask themselves when they will take these issues seriously.
“It’s time to bring common sense back to our budget process,” Daines concluded. “Now is the time for serious budget reform.”
Watch Daines’ remarks HERE.
By: DNU staff