MORE BROKEN PROMISES FOR DEMOCRATS
Congressional Democrats Cannot Live Up to Campaign Promises to Restore Fiscal Responsibility

RALEIGH—On September 30, the Fiscal Year 2007 Budget for Congress will officially expire.  To date, Democrats in control of both Houses of Congress have failed to pass any of the twelve annual spending bills.  Yesterday, Democrats were forced to pass a continuing resolution to temporarily fund the government through November 16 to prevent a government shutdown.  One of the principal functions of Congress is to provide a budget for the federal government as provided in Article I of the U.S. Constitution.  Democrat Whip Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) called passing spending bills "the most fundamental job Congress is expected to do." (Robert Pear, "Familiar Disagreements As Fiscal Deadline Nears," The New York Times, 9/23/07).  Sen. Durbin is not the only Democrat who promised to prioritize spending concerns.

  • FLASHBACK: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV): "Democrats are ready to work with the President to ... restore fiscal discipline." (Andrew Taylor, "Bush Pushes Balanced Budget On Democrats," The Associated Press, 1/4/07)
  • FLASHBACK: Speaker Of The House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA): "[F]iscal responsibility is a key component of our agenda." (CNBC's "Kudlow & Company," 10/24/06)

FLASHBACK: 2002 Was The Last Time Democrats Controlled At Least One House Of Congress And "Not A Single Spending Bill Cleared Before The Start Of The Fiscal Year."  "The last time, however, that not a single spending bill cleared before the start of the fiscal year was in 2002, when the fiscal 2003 appropriations bills were being considered." (David Clarke, "Spending Fight With Bush Delayed," CQ Today, 9/21/07)

Chairman Linda Daves, North Carolina Republican Party, made the following statement:

“Democrats have proven two things since taking power in Congress at the beginning of this year.  First, they are very good at making promises.  Second, they are very bad at delivering on those promises.  As busy as they have been investigating everything that moves, trying to find backdoor ways to undermine our troops, and intensifying partisan bickering in Washington, I can see why they might not have been able to get around to doing the first job of Congress.  However, that doesn’t make it any more acceptable or any less irresponsible.  Democrats pledged to bring more fiscal responsibility to Washington but what they have brought is more earmarks, more taxes, and more government.  North Carolina Congressional Democrats should pressure their leaders, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, to live up to their promises.  Voters in North Carolina will hold these Democrats accountable for the failures of their leadership.”

###