Obama Misses Budget Deadline—Again
Romina Boccia /
President Obama seems to view budget deadlines as mere suggestions. During his term, Obama has missed all but one deadline to deliver his annual budget and midsession review. This week marks another year in which the President missed both deadlines.
This consistent track record of missing statutory budget obligations is another indicator of the President’s lack of concern for the nation’s deteriorating fiscal situation.
Each year, the President of the United States is required to submit his budget on or after the first Monday in January but not later than the first Monday in February. While other Presidents have been late as well, President Obama’s tardiness has set several new records:
- First President to deliver three budgets late in just one term. President Obama has delivered all of his fiscal year (FY) budgets—except FY 2011—late.
- First President to deliver two budgets late in a row. President Obama delivered both the FY 2012 and the FY 2013 budgets after deadline.
- First President to take an extra 98 days to deliver his transition year budget. While a President’s first-year budget submission is delayed for practical reasons—there is not enough time between entering office and the budget deadline—President Obama’s first budget was delivered more than 30 days later than any other President’s budget.
Concerning midsession reviews, President Obama’s record is no better. Each year, the President is also required to submit a supplemental summary of the budget for the fiscal year, including any changes made, before July 16. It’s July 18, and Congress has yet to receive the President’s obligatory midsession review. In fact, President Obama has never delivered a midsession review on time.
President Obama not only delays his budgets but, most importantly, delays dealing with the nation’s spending and debt crisis. In the last budget President Obama submitted, he failed to deal with the biggest drivers of the nation’s debt—the entitlement programs—while making proposals that would further exacerbate our economic and fiscal situation with vast tax hikes, more spending, and more debt.
When President Obama eventually delivers his overdue midsession review, the picture likely won’t be much prettier.