Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin rebuffed President Obama’s budget from the Senate floor, calling it deceptive nonsense.
"I looked at the president’s proposed budget, the projected deficits, the accumulated debt over the next decade — and wondered: what are we doing?" said Manchin.
So far most Senate Democrats have refrained from even mentioning the budget, which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) indicated he would not call up for a vote. Only Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) offered guarded support on Tuesday, saying it offered "fiscal responsibility on one side and economic growth on the other."
Republicans, in the meantime, have burned hours of floor time trying to lampoon it and suggesting that if it were called up for a vote it would likely face the same fate as last year’s budget, which was killed 97-0.