Wayne Allard: “I yield myself 5 minutes. Again, I thank the Senator from Alabama. When we think about it, the Congressional Budget…”

“I yield myself 5 minutes. Again, I thank the Senator from Alabama. When we think about it, the Congressional Budget Office figures are way off. I do think the Heritage Foundation has probably come about as close as any figures I have seen. Here is what concerns me and concerns those of us who believe we ought to have a balanced budget, those of us who believe we owe something to future generations of Americans: We have to be conscious of the cost of this type of legislation. It will have a huge impact. In fact, I am trying to think back in my career in the Congress to whether I have seen as expensive legislation. I don't believe I have. We are looking at astronomical figures. If we look at the Heritage Foundation figures, $30 billion each year--and I think those are conservative and that builds into the base, so you have $30 billion the next year on top of that, as I understand it. It is astounding. We need to back up a little bit and think on what we are doing to the cost of many of those programs. We need to think more carefully about the solutions we are proposing and have in this bill. I am real concerned about the costs. I am real concerned about escalating deficits, although I have to say I am pleased with the response to the President's efforts to stimulate the economy. By growing the economy, we bring down the deficits. They have been going down. They went down last year. They are going down this year.…”