Mike Levin: “Yes, or at least a range on what is the worst case scenario and what is the best case scenario. I cannot believe the…”

“Yes, or at least a range on what is the worst case scenario and what is the best case scenario. I cannot believe the planners at the Pentagon and the OMB do not have a range. If they don't have a range, it would be irresponsible because how in heaven's name can the administration then say that we can afford a tax cut of the size they are proposing, when we have an impending demand for resources in a war that could be lengthy, costly, and then the aftermath could be lengthy and costly? It borders on the reckless, in terms of an economy, to say we don't have an estimate, we don't know whether or not it is going to be $20 billion, $40 billion, $100 billion--we don't have a range; yet they are trying to persuade a majority of the Congress that we ought to shrink the resources coming into the Government at the same time we are on the verge of war and the aftermath of a war, which doesn't have any estimated length, any estimated cost, and no troop estimate. We were given about a 200,000 estimate. Well, that is too high. OK, what is the ceiling that is more realistic to the people who say 200,000 is too high? We are completely devoid of that. What we are not devoid of, though, is the effort to shrink resources to this Government through a tax cut, which has a number of problems to it. One of them is that when we are facing what we are in terms of expenditures, it is not the responsible thing to do.”