Republicans on Capitol Hill are criticizing President Obama for failing to submit a budget for how to spend taxpayer money to Congress by Monday, which is mandated under the law.
“By law, the President was supposed to submit his budget to Congress today,” House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy wrote on Twitter. “However, it will be late – making this the 4th of 5 late budgets.”
Said Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the House budget chairman, in a Monday press release: “I’m disappointed the President has missed his deadline. But I’m not surprised.”
Obama is required under the Budget Act to submit a budget to Congress by the first Monday in February. White House budget director Jeffrey Zients has blamed the lateness of Obama’s budget on the American Taxpayer Relief Act — the legislation pushed by Obama that raised taxes on wealthy Americans.
The Washington Times reported that this is the fourth time in Obama’s five years as president that he has not submitted a budget to Congress on time.
The newspaper pointed out that former Presidents George W. Bush, Reagan Reagan and President George H.W. Bush were late once, and Bill Clinton was late twice.
No budget has passed the Senate since 2009.
“We spend $1 trillion more than we take in each year,” Ryan said. “In fact, we spend $3 for every $2 we take in. And we can’t keep that up. If we stay on this path, our finances will collapse.”