U.S. Senators are set to discuss and vote Wednesday on five different budget plans in an attempt to break a deadlock over how to cut spending and reduce the federal debt.
All five plans scheduled for debate are offered by Republicans, even one that closely mirrors a budget blueprint offered by the White House earlier this year. None of the budgets are expected to gain approval.
The Republican plans are meant to highlight the fact that the majority Democrats have not come up with a budget plan of their own.
Some Democrats have criticized their party for the failure to produce a budget. But others argue that last year's debt-limit agreement, the law known as the Budget Control Act, erases the need for a separate budget resolution.
With the upcoming November presidential election, pressure is building on lawmakers and the Obama administration to curb a crippling trillion-dollar budget gap and decrease the $15 trillion national debt.