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A SENATOR: MR. PRESIDENT.
THE PRESIDING OFFICER: THE
SENATOR FROM IDAHO IS
RECOGNIZED.
MR. CRAPO: THANK YOU,
MR. PRESIDENT.
I APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS BY OUR
REPUBLICAN LEADER, MITCH
McCONNELL, AND THE RANKING
MEMBER OF OUR SENATE BUDGET
COMMITTEE, JEFF SESSIONS, TO
GIVE THE SENATE A CHANCE TODAY
TO DO ITS JOB.
MR. PRESIDENT, IT HAS BEEN MORE
THAN THREE YEARS SINCE THE
SENATE HAS PASSED A BUDGET.
ALMOST 1,100 DAYS.
$4 TRILLION IN INCREASED DEBT
SINCE WE LAST HAD A BUDGET.
AND YET IT SEEMS AS IF THE
CURRENT MAJORITY ARE THE ONLY
ONES WHO DON'T THINK PASSING A
BUDGET IS A PART OF OUR JOB.
I HAVE TO STOP HERE JUST A
MOMENT AND COMMEND THE CHAIRMAN
OF THE BUDGET COMMITTEE,
SENATOR CONRAD BECAUSE I KNOW HE
HAS FOUGHT MIGHTILY TO GET A
BUDGET TO THIS FLOOR.
BUT THE POLITICS HE FACES HAVE
NOT ALLOWED HIM TO DO SO.
AND AS OF TODAY, FOR 1,100
DAYS, WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO
SEE A BUDGET PROPOSAL REACH THE
SENATE FLOOR FROM OUR COMMITTEE.
I'VE WORKED WITH SENATOR CONRAD
LONG AND HARD AND WILL CONTINUE
TO DO SO ON TRYING TO GET A
BROAD BIPARTISAN SOLUTION
BROUGHT FORWARD.
BUT TODAY WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION
ON THE SENATE FLOOR.
EVERYONE ELSE HAS A BUDGET.
THE HOUSE -- THE PRESIDENT HAS
OFFERED A BUDGET.
THE HOUSE REPUBLICANS HAVE
OFFERED A BUDGET.
THE HOUSE DEMOCRATS HAVE OFFERED
A BUDGET.
THE SENATE REPUBLICANS HAVE
INTRODUCED SEVERAL BUDGETS WHICH
WE WILL VOTE ON HERE TODAY.
EVERY AMERICAN FAMILY AND EVERY
AMERICAN BUSINESS HAS TO DEVELOP
A BUDGET.
PREVIOUS CONGRESSES INCLUDING
THOSE THAT ENACTED THE
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET ACT LAST
YEAR CLEARLY SAW THE IMPORTANCE
OF CONGRESS IN ENACTING A BUDGET
EVERY YEAR.
IN FACT, IT WAS THAT
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET ACT THAT WE
WERE ABLE TO GET PUT INTO PLACE
LAST YEAR THAT PUT INTO EFFECT
THE MECHANISM THAT WE ARE
EMPLOYING TODAY WHICH SAYS THAT
IF THE MAJORITY PARTY LEADERSHIP
NAILS TO BRING A BUDGET FORWARD
BY THE STATUTORY DEADLINE, THEN
ANY SENATOR HAS THE RIGHT TO
CALL FOR CONSIDERATION OF ANY
BUDGET ON THE SENATE CALENDAR.
SO LET'S LOOK AT THE BUDGETS
THAT WE WILL BE VOTING ON TODAY.
FIRST WE HAVE THE PRESIDENT'S
BUDGET.
AT A TIME WHEN OUR NATIONAL DEBT
IS MORE THAN $15.6 TRILLION,
WELL MORE THAN 100% OF OUR GROSS
DOMESTIC PRODUCT, THE
PRESIDENT'S BUDGET SEEMINGLY
MAKES NO ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE
DRAMATIC AND PREDICTABLE FISCAL
CRISIS THAT WE FACE.
INSTEAD OF EMBRACING THE
COMPREHENSIVE WORK OF HIS OWN
FISCAL COMMISSION, THE BOWLES
SIMPSONS COMMISSION WHICH I
SERVED ON OR ANY OF THE KEY
BIPARTISAN PROPOSALS THAT ARE
AVAILABLE LIKE THE RYAN OR THE
DOMENICI-RIVLIN PLAN OR COMING
UP WITH A REFORM PLAN OF HIS
OWN, THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET
REGRETTABLY REMAINS WITHIN THE
OLD DISCREDITED FRAMEWORK OF
TRYING TO TAX AND SPEND OUR WAY
INTO PROSPERITY.
THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET WOULD
RAISE TAXES BY $2 TRILLION.
AND THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE
$1.2 TRILLION OF TAX INCREASES
IN THE HEALTH CARE LAW WHICH ARE
JUST BEGINNING TO TAKE EFFECT
AND WILL CONTINUE TO ROLL OUT
OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
PERHAPS EVEN MORE REMARKABLE,
THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET ACTUALLY
INCREASES SPENDING BY
$1.2 TRILLION MORE THAN CURRENT
LAW.
SO ANOTHER $1.2 TRILLION IN NEW
SPENDING, ANOTHER
$2.000000000000 TO $3 TRILLION
IN NEW TAXES, NO STRUCTURAL
ENTITLEMENT REFORM AND NO
DISCRETIONARY SPENDING REFORM.
EVEN THOUGH IT IS WIDELY
ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE CURRENT
PATH OF OUR ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS
IS UNSUSTAINABLE, AND THAT THEY
ARE ON TRACK TO SOON BECOME
INSOLVENT, THE PRESIDENT'S
BUDGET HAS NO COMPREHENSIVE
REFORMS TO OUR ENTITLEMENT
PROGRAMS.
NONE.
THE MODEST AMOUNT OF HEALTH CARE
SAVINGS HE DOES PROPOSE WOULD
NOT EVEN BE ENOUGH TO OFFSET THE
EXTENSION OF THE DOC FIX OR THE
OTHER INCREASES IN THE HEALTH
CARE SPENDING THAT HE PROPOSES.
MR. PRESIDENT, THIS IS A
DANGEROUS APPROACH AND IT SHOULD
BE NOTED THAT THIS BUDGET FAILED
BY A VOTE OF ZERO TO 414 IN THE
HOUSE.
YET WE HAVE NO OTHER PENDING
PROPOSAL FROM THE OTHER SIDE TO
CONSIDER.
TODAY THE SENATE WILL ALSO HAVE
AN OPPORTUNITY TO REJECT THE
PRESIDENT'S APPROACH TO THE
FEDERAL BUDGET, AND I EXPECT
THAT IT WILL DO SO JUST AS IT
DID LAST TIME.
AND BECAUSE THE DEMOCRATIC
MAJORITY HERE IN THE SENATE HAS
FAILED TO PRODUCE THEIR OWN
BUDGET, WE WILL ALSO HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE ON SOME
IMPORTANT BUDGET PROPOSALS
OFFERED BY THE HOUSE BUDGET
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN AND BY OUR
OWN COLLEAGUES HERE IN THE
SENATE, SENATORS TOOMEY AND
PAUL AND LEE.
EACH OF THESE PROPOSALS WOULD
INCLUDE TRUE COMPREHENSIVE
REFORMS TO OUR ENTITLEMENT
PROGRAMS, TO PREVENT THE
PENDING INSOLVENCY AND TO
PROTECT THE PROGRAMS FOR CURRENT
AND FUTURE GENERATIONS.
AND WOULD PUT US ON A SUSTAINED
PATHWAY TO BALANCING OUR FEDERAL
BUDGET.
THESE BUDGETS ALSO CALL FOR
COMPREHENSIVE TAX REFORM WHICH
TAKE US OUT OF THE OLD PARADIGM
OF CONGRESS DEBATING WHETHER TO
RAISE OR CUT TAXES AND INSTEAD
THESE PROPOSALS WOULD REACH IN
THEIR OWN WAY DRAMATICALLY
STREAMLINE THE TAX CODE, REDUCE
THE TAX RATES AND UNLEASH
SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC GROWTH IN
OUR ECONOMY.
A BY-PRODUCT OF THIS --
BY-PRODUCT OF THIS GROWTH WOULD
BE AN INCREASE IN REVENUE TO
DEAL WITH OUR IMPENDING DEBT
CRISIS.
I COMMEND THE CHAIRMAN, SENATOR
CONRAD, FOR HIS EFFORT TO BRING
FORWARD A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, A
SOLUTION, ONE THAT ORIGINATED
WITH THE BOWLES SIMPSON
COMMISSION ON WHICH HE AND I SIT
OR SATURDAY AND WHICH HAS BEEN
WORKED ON BY THE SO-CALLED GANG
OF SIX FOR A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT
OF TIME NOW TO IMPROVE AND BRING
FORWARD, AND ONE WHICH THE
CHAIRMAN IS PREPARED TO MOVE
WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY IS
AVAILABLE.
I'VE ENCOURAGED HIM TO DO IT
NOW.
I BELIEVE WE OUGHT TO HAVE IT O
THE FLOOR TODAY FOR THIS DEBATE.
BUT WHENEVER THE TIME BECOMES
AVAILABLE, IT'S A PROPOSAL LIKE
THIS THAT WE NEED TO BE DEALING
WITH, AND WE NEED TO DEVELOP
THE BIPARTISAN SOLUTIONS
THAT -- SUPPORT THAT IS
NECESSARY TO PASS IT.
AND WHAT IS IT?
FIRST OF ALL, AS WE WORKED ON
THE BOWLES SIMPSON COMAITION WE
MADE SOME BASIC DECISIONS.
WE CONCLUDED THAT SPENDING WAS
THE MAJOR PROBLEM, THAT'S WHERE
THE MAJOR PART OF THE SOLUTION
SHOULD BE, BUT THAT REVENUE WAS
ALSO CRITICAL TO THE SOLUTION.
AND THAT GROWING OUR ECONOMY WAS
AN IMPORTANT PART OF ANYTHING
THAT CONGRESS SHOULD DO.
WE FIRST DISCUSSED PUTTING
TOGETHER A STRONG APPROACH TO
ENTITLEMENT REFORM, STRUCTURAL
ENTITLEMENT REFORM.
WE PUT STRONG SPENDING CAPS IN
PLACE.
AND WE MADE CLEAR THAT OUR
SPENDING PAT E--- PATTERNS IN
THE FEDERAL BUDGET WOULD BE
BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL.
IN ADDITION, RECOGNIZING THE
IMPORTANCE FOR A NEED OF STRONG
GROWTH, WE ACKNOWLEDGED THE
FACT THAT OUR TAX CODE MUST BE
REFORMED AND NOT IN THE
TRADITIONAL BATTLEGROUND OF
WHETHER TO RAISE TAXES ON ONE
GROUP OR LOWER TAXES ON
ANOTHER, BUT IN A COMPLETE
PARADIGM SHIFT TO FOCUS ON THE
FACT OF REFORMING BOTH OUR
CORPORATE AND INDIVIDUAL TAX
CODES.
IF YOU WENT ABOUT TRYING TO
CREATE A TAX CODE THAT WAS MORE
UNFAIR, MORE COMPLEX, MORE
EXPENSIVE TO COMPLY WITH AND
MORE ANTICOMPETITIVE TO OUR OWN
AMERICAN BUSINESS INTERESTS,
YOU'D BE HARD PRESSED TO DO IT
DIFFERENT OR WORSE THAN WE'VE
DONE WITH OUR OWN TAX CODE.
AND WE CONCLUDED THAT WE OUGHT
TO REFORM THAT CODE TO DEVELOP A
STRONG, DYNAMIC TAX CODE FOR
AMERICA TO BUILD FORWARD WITH
AND THAT'S WHY WE PROPOSED
BROADENING THE BASE, REDUCING
THE RATES, AND REFORMING THE
WAY THAT WE TAX IN AMERICA BY
SIMPLIFYING OUR TAX CODE AND
MAKING AMERICA A STRONG,
POWERFUL, AND ROBUST ECONOMY AS
IT HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN.
AND THEN WE PUT TOGETHER WHAT IS
CRITICAL FOR ANY PLAN TO
SUCCEED, AND THAT IS AN
ENFORCEMENT MECHANISM.
CONGRESS HAS A PERFECT RECORD OF
VIOLATING ITS OWN BUDGETS.
CONGRESS HAS A RECORD OF
IGNORING THE BUDGETS WITH SIMPLY
GETTING 60 VOTES TO WAIVE THE
BUDGET ACT WHENEVER CONGRESS
WANTS TO SPEND IN EXCESS OF A
BUDGET.
AND LITERALLY IN EVERY BUDGET IN
THE LAST TWO DECADES OR MORE,
CONGRESS HAS DONE SO.
REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT, THE
CONGRESSES HAVE DONE SO.
WHAT WE PUT TOGETHER IN OUR
NEGOTIATIONS WAS AN ENFORCEMENT
PLAN THAT WOULD KEEP CONGRESS
WITHIN THE WALLS OF THE BUDGET
THAT WE ADOPT.
IT WOULD HAVE A SERIES OF POINTS
OF ORDER TO PROTECT AGAINST THE
DECLARATION OF EMERGENCIES
UNJUSTIFIABLY AND WOULD THEN
FORCE EVEN EMERGENCY SPENDING
THAT USUALLY IS CONDUCTED
OUTSIDE THE BUDGET TO BE DONE IN
THE FACE OF A SEQUESTRATION
BACKED UP BY 67-VOTE POINTS OF
ORDER ON THE FLOOR OF THE
SENATE.
THIS KIND OF STRONG ENFORMAT IS
ALSO CRITICAL TO WHAT WE MUST DO
TO PROTECT OUR NATION.
WE NEED A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
WE NEED TO HAVE ENTITLEMENT
REFORM.
WE NEED TO HAVE DISCRETIONARY
SPENDING REFORM.
AND WE NEED TO HAVE BUDGET
ENFORCEMENT THAT IS SOLID.
WE NEED TO STRENGTHEN OUR
REVENUE STREAM AND REFORM OUR
TAX CODE BY LOWERING THE TAX
RATES AND BROADENING THE BASE IN
SUCH A WAY THAT SIMPLIFIES THE
CODE AND GIVES AMERICAN
BUSINESSES THE OPPORTUNITY TO
COMPETE
ACROSS THIS GLOBE F. WE DO SO,
WE WILL SEE A STRONG REVENUE
COMPONENT TO OUR REFORM MEASURES
AND WE WILL SEE A STRONG GROWTH
COMING JUST OUT OF THE FACT THAT
WE PUT TOGETHER EFFECTIVE
SPENDING CONTROLS.
THAT WE'VE GOT TO GET THERE AND
WE'VE GOT TO DO IT.
AND SO IN CONCLUSION,
MR. PRESIDENT, I AGAIN WANT TO
SAY I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY
TO WORK WITH SENATOR CONRAD AS
WE TRY TO PUT THIS KIND OF A
BROAD, COMPREHENSIVE REFORM
PACKAGE TOGETHER AND BUILD THE
BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR IT.
BUT I'M VERY DISCOURAGED STILL
BY THE FACT THAT WE CANNOT GET A
BUDGET PROPOSAL ON TO THE FLOOR
OF THE SENATE THAT WE CAN WORK
ON.
I ALSO WANT TO AGAIN APPRECIATE
THE LEADERSHIP OF SENATOR
McCONNELL AND SENATOR
SESSIONS, WHO HAVE GIVEN THE
SENATE THE OPPORTUNITY TODAY TO
DEBATE THIS ISSUE AND HAVE VOTES
AT LEAST ON MEANINGFUL PROPOSALS
THAT MOVE US DOWN THE PATH OF
REFORM THAT I'VE DISCUSSED.
AND PUT US INTO A PATHWAY FOR
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY AND GROWTH
FOR ALL.
AMERICA IS AT A TERRIBLE CRISIS
POINT.
OUR NATIONAL DEBT NOW EXCEEDING
OVER 100% OF OUR G.D.P.
THREATENS OUR ECONOMY.
MR. PRESIDENT, WE MUST TAKE
ACTION.
WE CANNOT LET ANOTHER YEAR GO BY
WITHOUT ADOPTING A BUDGET ON THE
FLOOR OF THE SENATE.