When Congress last passed a budget resolution, over three years ago, President Obama pledged a new era of fiscal responsibility: “And by making hard choices and challenging the old ways of doing business, we will cut in half the budget deficit we inherited within four years,” he said.

The news that the General Services Administration (GSA) blew through $822,000 for an elaborate training conference at a Las Vegas luxury hotel shocked Washington this week, leading to the resignation of GSA Administrator Martha Johnson. Beltway budget watchers were justifiably outraged.

If you believe the national debt and the federal budget deficit are urgent priorities, a Congressional budget hearing on February 28 offered insight into why it’s so difficult to restrain government spending.