The Senate has shown it has little appetite for governing this Congress, refraining from budgeting or even passing many bills since the months since the 112th has begun. The debt limit debate will be the pivotal moment that determines whether Senators are interested in grandstanding or actually legislating.

Already, the Senate has shown signs that it will continue to defer its duty to act, pre-emptively deriding the House’s plan to avoid a debt default. If Senators actually refuse to pass the Budget Control Act, the only serious legislative proposal to end the debt limit stalemate, it will illustrate an unprecedented negligence by lawmakers. For the past few months, Senators have dithered over tax hikes and budget gimmicks. Voters and credit markets are tired of the charade – it’s time for the Senate to step up to the plate.

• 820…Number of days since the Senate passed a budget

• 0…Number of votes the President’s budget received in the Senate

• 0…Number of debt limit solutions that have been passed by the Senate

• 0…Number of strong enforcement mechanisms in the Reid bill that requires spending to stay under any statutory limits

• 2…number of years additional years the Reid plan would jettison the Senate’s responsibility to actually produce a budget resolution

• $1.2 trillion…Amount of false savings Senator Reid’s plan claims

• $2.7 trillion…amount by which the Reid plan increases the debt ceiling without any guaranteed spending restraint in return

• 67…the number of Senators the Reid bill requires to avoid tax hikes in 2013 on any American paying income taxes—not the current rules that dictate 60 votes are necessary.

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Posted by Mattie Duppler on Thursday, July 28, 2011 3:17 PM EDT

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