Pete Domenici: “I just happen, on this one, not to agree with the Senator, and I would like to take my few moments to explain to the…”

“I just happen, on this one, not to agree with the Senator, and I would like to take my few moments to explain to the Senate why. Actually, Mr. President, when we drafted the budget law of the United States, we put a provision in it that said you prepare the budgets so that whatever it is Congress decides it wants to spend money for, you budget it, allocate it, put it in place, and then in the event that a disaster occurs, and the disaster is serious enough for Congress to say it is an emergency, and as a further safety valve it is serious enough for the President to say it is a disaster and an emergency, then Congress in its wisdom said that spending does not become part of the ordinary budget. It is on top of the budget. Now, frankly, there is good reason to suggest that perhaps, perhaps in the interest of frugality, we ought to not declare this $5.6 billion covering disasters in 33 States of America, as emergency disaster spending. There may be some reason to say it is not a disaster. I do not believe that is the case.”