Judd Gregg: “Although I am very sympathetic to the purpose of the policy behind this amendment, the simple fact is that this sort of…”

“Although I am very sympathetic to the purpose of the policy behind this amendment, the simple fact is that this sort of across-the-board cut would wreak havoc on this department and potentially mean significant reductions in a number of critical areas. This department does not have a lot of activity that is not critical to our homeland security, and a 5.5 percent cut across the board would have a devastating impact. So I have to oppose this amendment.”