This was a vote on House adoption of the budget resolution for fiscal year 2010, with guidelines over five years, proposed by the Democratic majority. It provided for significant increased spending in social programs, including expansion of health care coverage; slowing in defense spending increases; the expiration of some existing tax reductions, and the adoption of other tax changes that it claimed provided relief for up to 95% of all Americans; and the adoption of a “cap and trade” program intended to reduce energy use by having companies that emit excessive amounts of pollutants buy energy credits from companies that pollute less. The Congressional Budget Office projected that, if implemented, the resolution proposed by the Democratic majority would reduce the deficit to $586 billion in 2013.

Rep. Spratt, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, began the debate by commenting that “it is all but impossible to balance a budget when the economy is in recession, and, for that matter, it is ill-advised. Our budget is not so committed to deficit reduction that it overrides or overlooks other needs . . . (and it) launches some bold initiatives to make our economy more productive and our people more competitive . . . But the bigger picture will show that this budget leaves in place the middle-income tax cuts . . . the child tax credit, and the marriage penalty relief. It indexes the alternative minimum tax to keep it from coming down on middle-income taxpayers, for whom it was never intended. It also extends estate tax exemptions at the 2009 level . . . .”

Rep. Ryan (R-WI) led the opposition to the Democrats’ budget. He summarized it as: “(S)pends too much, borrows too much, taxes too much.” He went on to argue that “the debt held by the public under this budget doubles in 5 1/2 years . . . One estimate from MIT says the cap-and-trade (energy) scheme could raise taxes on households by as much as $4,500 a year.. . (and) these tax increases (are not) being used to pay down debt . . . They are to fuel higher spending . . . So we are putting our country on this vicious cycle of chasing ever higher spending with ever higher taxes that never quite catch up with that spending to give us a record amount of debt. The problem is one day maybe people won't buy our debt. What happens when that happens?” 

The resolution passed by a vote of 233-196. All 233 “aye” votes were cast by Democrats. Twenty other Democrats joined all one hundred and seventy-six Republicans, and voted “nay”. As a result, the 2010 fiscal year budget proposed by the Democratic majority was adopted by the House and sent on to the Senate.