Watchdog group issues plea for fiscal 2011 budget resolution

The Concord Coalition on Monday urged Congress to ignore potential political fallout and pass a fiscal 2011 budget resolution that would put the nation on a path toward fiscal sustainability.

"Without a budget resolution Congress has no framework within which to enforce trade-offs among competing priorities," the fiscal watchdog group said in a release.

"Punting may appear to offer relief from the short-term political pain of voting for a budget with big deficits but it would do nothing to relieve the nation's fiscal pain," the group said. "Meanwhile, any temporary political relief would soon be overtaken by the shame of having failed to enact a budget in the face of record deficits and rising debt."

The Senate Budget Committee approved a fiscal 2011 budget resolution last month, and the spending plan could be considered on the floor after the Senate finishes financial reform legislation. In the House, it is unclear if a resolution will be considered.

Democratic leaders are working out differences on discretionary spending cuts sought by Blue Dog Coalition members and liberal Democrats who are concerned that across-the-board reductions will hurt federal programs important to their constituents.