____________________________________
From: sena...@paul.senate.gov
To: wle...@aol.com
Sent: 4/11/2011 5:51:06 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: This Week In News For Senator Rand Paul - April 11, 2011
(http://paul.senate.gov/) RAND'S NEWSLETTER UPDATE April 11,
2011
Last week was an intense and critical time. Let me update you on what's
been happening in Washington.
The Budget
The showdown that could have led to a shutdown gripped the Beltway's
attention, and many everyday Americans became even more disenchanted with
Congress as they feared what a shutdown would mean to them. In the midst of
all
the angst, I introduced the Government Shutdown Prevention Act of 2011 to
address the issues that may occur during a federal government shutdown. See
the release _here_ (http://paul.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=332380) .
The bill is intended as a permanent rule to follow for the current and all
future cases where Congress does not enact a budget or continuing
resolution to fund the federal government . Absence of a continuing resolution
does
not shutdown government. And this legislation sought to show that there
doesn't need to be a shutdown in order for us to address the spending problem
here in Washington.
This proposal means to alleviate the worries of people who rely on
important services, and fill the gap created by non-passage of spending bills,
while forcing Congress to deal with the unsustainable spending. The bill
keeps obligations made to our military personnel, seniors, children, and
federal workers maintain an adequate level of pay, but Members of Congress and
the President do not get paid unless they actually work out a resolution.
But as we saw late Friday night, the shutdown was averted at the last
minute.
However, the much-ballyhooed 2011 continuing resolution (or, CR) will
leave the federal government spending $1.6 trillion more than it takes in.
Despite descriptions of cuts, the 2011 Congress will spend more than it did in
2010 and with a larger annual deficit. It is the third year in a row with
a record deficit.
Only in Washington can a budget that spends more than it did the year
before, with a larger deficit, be portrayed as "cutting."
The only "good news" from the 2011 CR would be that it adds less debt than
President Obama's plan, but it does not appreciably change the
accumulation of debt.
After the vote, I released a statement of opposition to the continuing
resolution, which was inserted into the Congressional Record:
Mr. President, I voted against this short-term continuing resolution for
the same reason I voted against the last one and the one before that -
because it does not set us on a path to fixing the spending and debt problems
our country is facing. As I have said before, there is not much of a
difference between a $1.5 trillion deficit and a $1.6 trillion deficit - both
will
lead us to a debt crisis that we may not recover from.
We still face an enormous fiscal crisis, and barely any serious actions to
address it are even being discussed by the leaders in Washington. I will
continue to oppose any legislation that doesn't seek to seriously deal with
this issue.
Libya and Presidential War Powers
The Senate chose not to vote on the sense of the Senate resolution I
introduced the previous week, that quotes then-Senator and presidential
candidate Barack Obama's own words from 2007 where he states:
"The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally
authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping
an actual or imminent threat to the nation."
The measure sought to put the Senate on record affirming Congress as the
body with constitutional authority on matters of war. The motion was tabled,
90-10. Not one Senate Democrat had the courage to vote on the measure and
show support for their President.
You can see the video of my floor statements _here_
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXs5R0Qn9Ac) , or by clicking on the image
below.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXs5R0Qn9Ac)
Media
I went on with Neil Cavuto to talk about the budget fight Friday. See the
video _here_ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5f-mGHmyk0) , or by clicking
on the image below.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5f-mGHmyk0)
My other media appearances last week included: _Fox News' Happening Now_
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn_sDnFFxZw) , _CNBC's Street Signs_
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf2djZYBfVs) , _CNN's Newsroom_
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkz8TUw7_7A) , and _Hannity_
(http://video.foxnews.com/v/4635783/rand-paul-on-federal-budget-battle-part-1/)
.
Stay tuned for future updates. You can follow my official Twitter account
_here_ (http://twitter.com/#!/SenRandPaul) and subscribe to my YouTube
channel _here_ (http://www.youtube.com/user/SenatorRandPaul) . Also, don't
forget to become a fan of my _official Facebook page_
(http://www.facebook.com/SenatorRandPaul) for other timely updates.
Warm Regards, To unsubscribe from Rand's newsletter, please visit
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