Blue Dog Leadership Supports Vote on Fiscal State of the Nation

WASHINGTON — The Blue Dog Coalition of House Democrats is throwing its support behind a bipartisan resolution that would require the comptroller general of the United States to deliver an annual fiscal state of the nation report to Congress.

The resolution, H.Con.Res. 44, was authored by Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., and would mandate that the report be presented at an annual joint hearing of the House and Senate Budget Committees, and that the meeting be open to all members of Congress.

The presentation would take place within 45 business days of issuance of the Financial Report to ensure lawmakers receive the information in an accurate and timely manner. 

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., introduced the bipartisan companion to the bill, S. Con. Res 11 in the Senate.

“Our skyrocketing national debt is alarming to so many of our constituents, and it’s past time for Congress to acknowledge the severity of our situation and begin to address it,” said Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida, Blue Dog co-chair for Communications. 

“As our economy continues to bounce back, we need a nonpartisan, comprehensive review of our nation’s fiscal state so Congress can make more informed decisions about how to stop the bleeding, get our fiscal house in order, and bring down the national debt,” she continued.

“This issue cannot be dismissed or downplayed. If we don’t act and act soon, we will be putting our economy, our security, and our children’s future at risk. I strongly urge leadership to keep their end of the bargain and put this bill on the floor once we have moved past our current debt ceiling crisis,” Murphy said.

For those readers who don’t know, the current comptroller general is Gene Dodaro, who assumed the position, and that of head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, on Dec. 22, 2010.

He was nominated by President Obama in September of that year from a list of candidates selected by a bipartisan, bicameral congressional commission. He had been serving as acting comptroller general since March 2008.