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Is it normal for Congress not to pass a federal budget?
Unfortunately, yes. It turns out that we’re a pugilistic people by nature, and when you put money into the mix, things just escalate like a Gambino family reunion. The last time that we had a full-on, real-life federal budget that was signed into law, it was 1997. Bill Clinton was president, and Newt Gingrich was speaker of the House (and only on his second wife).
So how is it that now Republicans are now accusing Obama of being a "dictator" violating the Constitution for not having signed into law a budget that hasn't been passed by Congress?
When was the last time we had a budget bill that was approved?
April of 2009. But technically it was just an “omnibus spending bill,” and President Barack Obama was none too thrilled to be signing it, citing the excessive number of earmark projects. The following year, Democrats chose not to put forth a budget bill because they deemed it politically imprudent during the hotly contested midterm elections. Same thing happened the next year. You get the point.
Six presidents have presided over a balanced budget:
Clinton- 1998- 2001 - Budgets weren't balanced. Spending exceeded revenue, the govt had to borrow to make ends meet as usual, and the National Debt increased every year.
LBJ- 1969 - Again, budget weren't balanced. Spending exceeded revenue and the govt had to borrow to make ends meet as usual, and the National Debt increased that year, too.
Eisenhower- 1956-1957 - These were the last years the budget was balanced.
When was the last time we had a budget bill that was approved?
April of 2009. But technically it was just an “omnibus spending bill,” and President Barack Obama was none too thrilled to be signing it, citing the excessive number of earmark projects. The following year, Democrats chose not to put forth a budget bill because they deemed it politically imprudent during the hotly contested midterm elections. Same thing happened the next year. You get the point.
Yes an omnibus spending bill was passed in 2009, not a budget
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