4. Political Cartoon: EU Growth

3. “After just one term in office, French President Nicolas Sarkozy lost his re-election bid because he was unable to fix his nation’s economy. Or as Obama put it, ‘Uh-oh.’” –Jimmy Fallon

2. ”Michele Bachamnn has announced she is now also a citizen of Switzerland. What better way to protest a president you think is socialist than become a citizen of a country with a socialist philosophy and a mandated health care plan.” –Jay Leno

1. “New predictions out today claim 42 percent of Americans will be obese by the year 2030. They say the only way to stop that is for the government to step in. Oh yeah, when it comes to trimming the fat and tightening your belt, what better way than the U.S. government?” –Jay LenoBA

The proposal was a bipartisan work brought forth by Senators McConnell and Reid in a rare show of transparency and compromise. The two remarked, “We have been working for years on this budget, and now that it’s passed, we are ready to do away with politics and just do the work.”

Next on the agenda for the duo, world peace: “After the work we just put into passing a budget, three years of work, we figure world peace should be a cake walk,” remarked Sen. Reid. But, not to be outdone, others in the Senate began working on plans to end world hunger. Senator Kyl has teamed up with Senator Kerry to bring legislation to the floor that would end hunger worldwide in just two years.

Whether or not the Senate will take on more of the worlds problems remains to be seen. What is clear though, is that this body of straight forward, earnest, and hard working individuals can accomplish quite a lot when they work together.

In case you haven’t figured it out, this blog is total fiction. The Senate still hasn’t done anything. In fact, the Senate will be in recess for the entire week. No budget in three years. Happy Anniversary!

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The Washington Free Beacon notes it has been three years since the Senate passed a budget.

Bloomberg highlights former fiscal commission co-chair Erskine Bowles’s recent comment in New York on the nation’s fiscal crisis.

Despite billions in stimulus spending, The Washington Post reports state and local governments are still cutting jobs.

According to The Hill, Congress will have an easier time this year passing the annual defense authorization bill.

Politico looks at efforts to defund portions of the health care law.

The Washington Free Beacon says the auto bailout is still unpopular.

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4. Political Cartoon: The Buffett Rule

3. ”Today is 4/20. This is like national pot day. And people celebrate all over the world. Although, I must say, the Senate did not celebrate this by smoking joints, for two reasons. One, it would be against protocol. And two, it would mean passing something.” –Bill Maher

2. Political Cartoon: Student Loan Debt

1. Political Cartoon: The GSA Party FundBA

In the past few weeks we have seen multiple budget proposals from different groups in Congress have been presented, considered and dismissed. In the Senate, most recently we have seen Sen. Kent Conrad propose a budget based up on the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles Commission. But, because of politics and an election year, the budget will never see a vote in committee, much less the Senate floor. Instead the Senate contends that the Budget Control Act passed last summer serves as a budget, giving the appropriators limits on which to craft spending legislation.

Only one budget proposal this year, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s, has been voted on and passed – or in a literal sense “deemed passed” – so far. But, as a result of its passage, a new battle over the country’s spending has been scheduled for the end of the year. When the budget proposal passed the House, it included spending numbers below that of the Budget Control Act passed this summer. Meaning that while the House and Senate begin the process of allocating money to different sections of government – the appropriations process – the House will allocate less than the Senate. Why is this an issue? Because both the House and Senate must agree and pass appropriation bills to be sent to the White House for money to be let out the door.

To add to the pressure, the White House Acting Budget Director, Jeffery Zients, issued a statement saying, “Until the House of Representatives indicates that it will abide by last summer’s agreement, the President will not be able to sign any appropriations bills.” In other words, no more cutting next year’s spending. With this added threat of a veto, the political pressure builds between the House and Senate while they attempt to bring appropriation bills together.

Meanwhile the nation continues to struggle against mounting deficits, against a national debt that is more than $15 trillion dollars, against a weak economy and a Congress who can’t seem to get motivated to pass a budget to actually cut spending. Washington has long entertained those who put on a show and play politics, but in a time when the country needs results, Congress seemingly cannot deliver. Jennifer Hing, spokesman for Chairman of the Appropriations Committee Chair Hal Rogers of Kentucky, had this to say whentalking about the appropriation process, “This year, when the Appropriations bills pass both the House and the Senate, the President can choose to sign them, or else he can choose to shut down the federal government, put our people at risk, and imperil our economic recovery.”

Motivation can push people to exceed, or motivation can push people to do nothing. But, when the only motivation left is to avoid shutting down the country, something has gone very wrong.  Neither the House nor the Senate nor the White House can run the country without the others. And the sooner they realize this and work together to cut spending and reduce deficits, the better.BA

2. Fact Sheet: Party in the GSA!

1. Friday Funnies! 5 Jokes About the EconomyBA

4. Political Cartoon: GSA Scolding

3. ”The IRS is very into social media now. They have five different Twitter accounts. And while you may not be following them, they are definitely following you.” –Jimmy Kimmel

2. Political Cartoon: Another Conference

1.  ”In case you’re wondering where your tax dollars go, 21 percent goes to Medicare and Medicaid, 20 percent to social security, 20 percent to defense spending, and the other 39 percent they squander.” –Jimmy KimmelBA

Politico looks at the difference in the spending levels the House and Senate have set for the fiscal year 2013 appropriations process.

The Hill and The Washington Post report the House has passed a package of small business tax cuts. Meanwhile, according to Bloomberg, the Senate is contemplating what to do about extending the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.

According to Roll Call, the Senate will vote next week on a bill to reform the U.S. Postal Service.

The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal say there are questions about the strength of the economy.

On the opinion pages: The Washington Times says the GSA scandal is an indication of larger problems in government and Darrell Delamaide argues neither party is serious about budgeting.

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Yesterday it was reported that Senator Toomey is working to bring a budget to the Senate floor for a vote. According to the Hill, Toomey’s budget incorporates House Republican’s Medicare proposal, balances the budget within eight years, and lowers marginal income tax rates 20 percent and corporate taxes to 25 percent. Toomey points out his budget works much faster, as Ryan’s budget does not eliminate the deficit until 2040.

Any discussion on ways to cut spending is a step in the right direction, but at some time the Senate must stop playing politics or talking and actually get to work. As always, we promise to keep you updated as details emerge and the situation develops.BA

A budget is important for many reasons, and one of the most important aspects of the federal budget to follow is the “top-line” number for discretionary spending. House and Senate appropriators watch this number closely, because it places a limit on how much they can spend.  And since the budget process appears to be stalled, the House of Representatives moved on Tuesday to deem a budget to have passed for the purpose of allocating  a top-line number to the appropriations committee to spend.

But there is a problem.  Yesterday, the House set their number at $1.028 trillion.  This number is below the number the Senate set out in the Budget Control Act that passed last summer to end the debt ceiling standoff: $1.047 trillion.  With different numbers on what to spend, we’re set for another spending clash between the House and Senate.

Unfortunately, taking the shortcut of not passing a budget and deeming one to have passed is in keeping with the pattern of recent years. For the last three years, the Senate hasn’t even bothered passing a budget. (Kudos to President Obama and House of Representatives, who have met their responsibilities to present a budget blueprint in recent years)

So the budget isn’t real. Big deal, right? Actually, it is a big deal, because the real losers here are the American taxpayers. It’s easy to see how this farcical process has led to our current dire budget situation, where towering debt and endless deficit spending have put our nation on an unsustainable fiscal course.

Think about it: The national debt is more than $15.5 trillion and counting, and the projected deficit for this fiscal year is an additional $1.2 trillion.  Is it too too much to ask that Congress and the president develop a realistic budget plan and then follow it?BA