Overall, enforcement was Cox's stated priority beginning in 2005 and throughout his chairmanship. He moved quickly to settle the debate over whether it was legitimate to impose penalties on corporations, adopting a policy that made clear the SEC "isn't turning out to be the corporate-friendly place that many in the boardroom set were hoping for." Within the SEC budget, as of 2008, he had increased the share devoted to enforcement to its highest level in 20 years. Nonetheless, the SEC's overall appropriation was held steady during two of his budget years, first by a Republican and then a Democratic Congress, and it was increased by only 2% in a third year. These sub-inflation agency budgets, combined with merit pay increases for staff, caused the total enforcement personnel to decline. Critics attacked the underfunding of the SEC and blamed Cox, though Congress and the administration clearly shared the responsibility. When the agency budget was finally increased in fiscal 2008, he increased enforcement personnel by 4%.