This Sunday marks exactly three years since the Democratic majority in the Senate last passed a budget, on April 29, 2009. During that time, the federal government has spent $10.4 trillion and added another $4.5 trillion to our total debt.

Adopting a budget is not optional. It is required by law. Under the 1974 Congressional Budget Act, the Senate must move a budget out of the Budget Committee by April 1 of every year and adopt a budget resolution on the floor by April 15. [Link added.]

The House has completed its budget work each of the past two years since the GOP attained a majority in that chamber. By contrast, the Democratic Senate is continuing its open defiance of budget law for the third year in a row.

It appears likely that President Obama will have signed only one budget in his term. Yet he does not use his bully pulpit to shame his Democrat Senate into doing their duty. Why should he when Congress is willing to give him a blank check by periodically raising the debt ceiling?

Our missing federal budget is just one more index of our national decline.

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/05/obamas_blank_check.html#ixzz1uG8TOpff