Political Quotes

“I think we are in a way on the same wavelength because I think it is important that we get honest estimates, too. My question is, If the CBO cannot estimate it--cannot estimate it, it is still out of order. Let me put it a different way. If the CBO cannot estimate it--it is tough. They have to. Because you do not have the language on the intergovernmental side that you do on the private side that allows them to say they cannot make the estimate. You could still keep your point of order, because there is no estimate that meets your test. But what you do not do in this bill, for the intergovernmental sector, is to allow the CBO to be honest the way you do in the private sector. We tried this amendment in conference, to simply say if the CBO cannot make the estimate in the--excuse me. We offered an amendment in markup, where we said if the CBO cannot make the estimate--which has been true in many cases before--that they should be allowed to say so on the intergovernmental side, the same as they are allowed to do on the private side, so we can know that.”