Johnny Isakson United States Senator

Isakson Urges Reform of the Federal Budget Process and the End to Reckless Spending

Jul 30, 2010

WASHINGTON – During a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator and Senate candidate Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., Wednesday again urged his colleagues to end reckless spending and reform the federal budget process by converting it from an annual spending process to a two-year cycle, with one year for appropriating federal dollars and the other year devoted to much-needed oversight of federal programs.

“We have a serious, difficult problem in our country. We have a debt of $13 trillion,” Isakson said. “One of the keys to stopping the growth of debt and improving the plight of our country is to begin spending within our means. Through the process of a biennial budget, we can combine the responsibility of spending with the absolute responsibility of oversight.”

Isakson has introduced legislation, S.169, that would require the president to submit a two-year budget at the beginning of the first session of a Congress. Members of Congress would then need to adopt a two-year budget resolution, a reconciliation bill if necessary and two-year appropriations bills during that first session. The legislation ensures the enactment of two-year appropriations bills by providing a new majority point of order against consideration of an appropriations bill that fails to cover two years.

The second session of a Congress would then be devoted to the consideration of authorization bills and oversight of federal programs. Isakson believes the enhanced oversight will result in more accountability of government programs.

“During these difficult times, everybody in America is looking at where they spend their money, and they’re trying to find savings. They’re trying to find those places where they could better allocate their money so they are not going into debt, they are not borrowing and they are not raising the prospects of debt in the future,” Isakson said. “The American government ought to be doing the same thing.”

Isakson has introduced, co-sponsored or voted for similar legislation several times since he came to the Senate in 2005.