Political Quotes

“Mr. President, as we begin our final week of legislative activity prior to the August work period, I rise today to discuss the fiscal challenges that will await us on our return. When the Senate gavels back into session on September 9, we will be only 3 short weeks away from the end of the fiscal year. We will have only 15 business days to reach an agreement on all 12 appropriations bills and avoid a government shutdown. Unfortunately, our progress toward reaching this goal has been less than stellar. The transportation-housing appropriations bill we are currently considering is the first of 12 bills that has even been brought to the Senate floor. Consider this: We cannot even agree to comply with the spending limits mandated under current law. We are headed for a big multitrain pileup. Last Congress, the Senate and the House made a promise to the American people--made a promise about a basic level of fiscal constraint on our appropriations process; not enough, but a step in the right direction. As a part of the Budget Control Act, which passed with bipartisan support and was signed by the President, we committed to capping appropriations spending at certain levels for each of the next 10 years. Less than a year ago, the majority leader emphatically proclaimed them binding when he said: We passed the Budget Control Act. We have agreed to all of those numbers. They are done. They are agreed to.…”