Fiscal Deadline a Surprise to No One

Washington – US Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) issued the following statement following the failure of Congress and the White House to reach an agreement to fund government operations beginning today, October 1 – the beginning of the federal government’s new fiscal year.

“This is the unfortunate consequence of attempting to govern from crisis to crisis. Washington has failed in one of its most basic jobs – providing a budget that responsibly manages taxpayer dollars. In this case, Washington has failed to provide any budget at all.

“The fiscal year has begun on October 1 every year since 1976. It should hardly come as a surprise to any elected official that a budget needs to be completed by that time. And yet, Congress has not completed all 12 regular spending bills on time since 1997. This year, Senator Reid and the Democratic majority have failed to complete a single appropriations bill. It’s little wonder that this failure of leadership has led to a budget impasse.

“Shutdowns don’t happen when Congress does its job. Our country deserves better than short-term, Band Aid spending bills that only work well enough to get us to the next crisis. We need a real, responsible budget that solves our country’s spending addiction and puts us back on the path to fiscal solvency.”