Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) expressed concerns about the stopgap spending bill Congress will pass later this week.
“We’re more than $17 trillion in debt,” Enzi said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “Yet, today we’re considering continuing to spend on autopilot. … Sometimes it seems we have our heads buried in the sand.”
{mosads}Congress needs to pass a continuing resolution (CR) before leaving for the midterm elections in order to keep the government funded at current levels.
The House is expected to pass a bill Wednesday that would keep the government open until Dec. 11. The Senate will then take up the measure. But Enzi said short-term CRs aren’t the way government should operate.
“We can’t wait any longer,” he said. “It is time to act. … Congress should pass each individual spending bill.”
Enzi proposed two solutions that would reduce the debt and give Congress more time to work through all 12 appropriations bills.
He has introduced the “Penny Plan,” which would cut spending across the board by 1 percent. He also has a bill that would allow Congress to budget on a biannual basis, giving lawmakers two years to work through spending bills instead of one year.