Political Quotes

“earlier today, I asked the Senator from Idaho some questions about how this whole process would work on an amendment. He gave me the best answers he could, which were that, well, if the CBO was unable to make an estimate and if the Budget Committee was unable to make an estimate as to the cost to local and State governments of an amendment, that, first of all, a point of order would not lie for the failure to make an estimate. That estimate requirement does not apply to amendments. But what does apply to amendments is the threshold, the cost. So if an amendment is offered and a point of order is raised that the cost of that to State and local governments is above $50 million in any of the 5 fiscal years after it is effective, somehow or other the Chair is going to have to make a ruling. How does the Chair make a ruling? Talk about uncertainties. It is going to ask the Budget Committee. The Budget Committee is going to ask the CBO. My question to the Senator from Idaho was, ``What happens if the CBO and Budget Committee cannot take an estimate? They say there is no way we can make an estimate on this amendment. What happens? Does the point of order lie if there is no way to make an estimate?'' The answer was, ``Maybe yes, maybe no.…”