Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, issued the following comment today about developments in the budget conference committee. Grassley is also a member of the Budget Committee and a conferee.
"The procedural compromise that emerged today can help us get a budget. That's important to me for three reasons. My committee needs to get to work on a tax bill to help the economy. The two weeks of recess are important time to prepare so we can move quickly when Congress reconvenes and deliver a stimulus bill to the President's desk before Memorial Day. Republicans also need to pass a budget as a majority party. Democratic leaders of the Senate didn't produce a budget last year, and that was a failure on their part. Finally, being able to offer budget points of order is an important tool for fiscal discipline in the year ahead. The two-number plan being worked out by budget committee leaders can work as long as the tax-writing committees remain part of the process. Sen. Frist has assured me that this process, though unusual, includes consideration in the Finance Committee before floor action."
Source: Ranking Member’s News
