James M. Jeffords: “first I must congratulate the chairman of the Budget Committee, Senator Domenici, for his hard work on the budget. It is…”

“first I must congratulate the chairman of the Budget Committee, Senator Domenici, for his hard work on the budget. It is a thankless task that earns the Senator few if any points with his New Mexico constituents. Unfortunately, I am greatly troubled by certain elements in this budget, and will vote against the fiscal year 2002 budget resolution conference report now before the Senate. In approving this budget, Congress is missing a significant opportunity to address some of our nation's most critical needs. Key among these needs is education. A nation that does not invest in its people, that does not provide its citizens with an excellent education, that does not ensure that its children can read, and that does not train them for eventual entry into the workforce, is acting irresponsibly. We must grant the American people a tax cut. We must pay down the debt. We must protect social security. But we must not ignore a most critical responsibility, to provide a free and adequate education to every child in America. I was proud to play a key role in making the tax cut contained in this budget more responsible. I have the greatest respect for my centrist colleagues who joined me in striking this agreement. But I cannot support a budget that puts large tax cuts and unlimited defense spending ahead of educating our nation's children.”