Jim Kolbe: “Let me just reiterate something that I said this afternoon on the floor, and I have been, and I think some in this body…”

“Let me just reiterate something that I said this afternoon on the floor, and I have been, and I think some in this body know and certainly those that I have talked to in my State know that I have been a strong supporter of the arts for a number of years and I believe very passionately in it. And I believe that there is a Federal role. I regret that we are finding ourselves in the position where we are pitting one priority against another. But the Federal budget is not limitless. There are limits. We must establish priorities. That is really what we are about doing here this evening. I believe that there will be additional dollars in the conference for the arts, but I believe that at this moment that it is not the appropriate time to do it because it will not help us pass this bill.”