Corker Wants End to “Budget Gimmicks”

U.S. Senator Bob Corker

Tennessee Senator Bob Corker stood with more than twenty Republican colleagues from the U.S. House and Senate today to oppose what they call budget gimmicks.

Federal budgeting involves a lot of smoke and mirrors. For instance, lawmakers claim savings from money that was never spent…much like claiming you saved five hundred dollars by not buying an iPad. Corker says the gimmicks are mind numbing.

“One of the greatest frustrations here is knowing that so much of what happens in the budgeting process is make believe.”*

Among other things, the Honest Budget Act would make it harder for Congress to avoid laying out an annual budget, or spending blueprint, something the Senate hasn’t done in three years. It also requires three-fifths of Congress to approve often pork-laden, emergency spending bills. Corker has supported many emergency bills in the past, such as to fund the Iraq War during the Bush Administration. As for the difference now that a Democrat is in the Oval Office?

“Both sides of the aisle have been irresponsible. There’s no question.”

The legislation currently has no Democratic co-sponsors, but Corker says he expects to attract bi-partisan support soon.

*Note: In the original version of this story, we mistakenly transcribed Senator Corker’s words as “make belief,” instead of “make believe.” We regret the error.