GOP SENATORS AGREE: SENATE PASSED 'BUDGET AGREEMENT' IN AUGUST

"While provisions to raise the debt limit and create a Congressional deficit reduction committee drew most of the attention in the legislation that allowed the government to narrowly avert a default, House and Senate leaders also used the measure to establish federal spending limits for the next two years." --New York Times, 8/28/11

The Budget Control Act, passed by the Senate in August, set the federal budget for fiscal years 2012 and 2013 - a fact acknowledged in recent months by leading Senate Republicans:

Sen. Collins Called the Budget Control Act a "Budget Agreement" and a "Budget Plan." "The budget agreement also requires a vote on a balanced budget Constitutional amendment by the end of the year...While I supported the budget plan recently passed by Congress, I did so with serious reservations." [Collins Column, 8/5/11]

Sen. Grassley Called the Budget Control Act a "Budget Agreement." "We should be doing those things not only in this budget agreement, this deficit reduction agreement, but in all the decisions we make in the Congress.  [Congressional Record, 8/1/11]

Sen. Alexander Called the Budget Control Act a "Budget Agreement." "The budget agreement we came to in August pretty well got 40 percent of the budget under control, the part we call discretionary spending - everything from national defense to national parks. It's only growing at about the rate of inflation over the next 10 years." [NPR, 9/22/11]