Political Quotes

“I want to say to Senator Robb that I am as worried as he is about defense. I will give you my assessment. If this resolution as it is currently on the Senate floor comes out of conference the same way--I am not sure that is going to happen; but make sure everybody understands what I am saying with reference to the assumption--at least $25 billion in budget authority will be taken out of defense. That is very simple arithmetic. The Exon amendment cuts $43 billion in budget authority. Everybody is talking about $20 billion, $26 billion. That is outlays. But the programs are ultimately cut when you take away authority. It is $43 billion. I am roughly saying 60 percent is going to come out of defense. I just did the arithmetic. That is $25 billion. If somebody wants to say it does not matter, that $25 billion more is not going to harm defense, that is fine. If somebody says I am scaring the pants off somebody, I am merely saying if we are lucky it will be $25 billion. The reason I am saying if defense is lucky is because we have to remember that the very same amendment cuts close to a similar amount out of all the nondefense programs. What is going to happen in the battle? Are we going to take all of this out of WIC and food stamps and education and all those programs? Is that what the Congress is going to do? I would not think so. So if you are successful, and if it forces some change in this, my hat is off to you.”