Senator is skeptical budget resolution will pass before July break

Despite earlier optimism, Senate Budget Commitee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., Monday said he believes there will not likely be enough time for the Senate to pass the fiscal 2011 budget resolution before the Independence Day recess.

"We've seen a pattern this year," Conrad said. "Everything takes longer than anticipated."

His comments come after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., earlier Monday ticked off a list of business the Senate must complete this month, including legislation extending tax and other social safety-net programs, a conference with the House on financial reform legislation, and a conference on a war supplemental spending bill.

Reid, however, did not mention the five-year budget resolution.

Conrad said that, although Reid did not include the spending plan on the agenda, a to-do list circulated by Democratic leaders does include the resolution.

"The leadership put out a list, and it's got the budget resolution on it, as something that could be taken up this work period, but [there are] no guarantees that it would be," said Conrad.

Whether the Senate takes it up will depend on how quickly the chamber can deal with other pressing business.

"I think it will be a test of how long things take" to get through the Senate, Conrad added.

Prior to the Memorial Day recess, Conrad had spoken to the Democratic Conference about passing a resolution, for which he said there was a good level of support. The Senate Budget Committee approved the five-year spending plan in April.

Conrad said that members were particularly attracted to the proposal because it would reduce the deficit by 70 percent from 9.8 percent of gross domestic product in fiscal 2010 to 3 percent of GDP in fiscal 2015.

After the meeting Conrad believed that he could get the budget through the Senate by July.

"We had that caucus [meeting], and people gave their reactions and [Reid] turned to me and said 'it's pretty clear that people want to do a budget'," Conrad said.

"But here we are," he said, with a long list of legislation that he suspects will likely take the month to complete, if not longer.

However, Conrad insisted that there is still time to do a five-year resolution because he expects the appropriations process to be delayed.

"Appropriations are clearly being pushed later; they are not going to do all that many appropriations bills probably for the year," Conrad said, adding, "It would not be fatal not to have it done during this work period."

Similar to what House Democrats are expected to do, Conrad said he believes the Senate will consider at most the annual Defense, Homeland Security and Military Construction-VA spending bills before the November midterm elections.

Conrad also said it is still a mystery as to whether the House will pass a five-year budget.

House Democrats are at odds over how much discretionary funding to include in a full resolution, with the Blue Dogs pushing for a cut of 2 percent each year for three years in nonsecurity discretionary spending and a freeze for an additional two years. Liberal Democrats are opposed to the idea because they are concerned that it would hurt federal programs important to their constituents.

House Democrats are also considering a deeming resolution, which would set the fiscal 2011 discretionary funding level and allow the annual appropriations process to move forward.