Ronald Dellums: “if I heard my distinguished colleague correctly, I would make two observations. First, this is a precedent being set on…”

“if I heard my distinguished colleague correctly, I would make two observations. First, this is a precedent being set on the military budget that has not been set on any other budget, and that is that we cannot make cuts; that we cannot offer amendments to make cuts, and the rules will not do it. We know that is not the case. We have made cuts in other programs. I will just let that sit there for whatever that is worth. The second point that I would make is that, if the issue is get this bill up on Tuesday and get it out by Wednesday night, this is a triumph of process over substance, and we ought to be about substance. We have time to deliberate here, and I am not trying to demagog the issue. I am willing to stay here all night like anyone else; but, when we are talking about $267 billion, slow the train down and let us have a deliberative and substantive discussion. Do not let process triumph over substance. If we are going to establish this precedent on the military budget, then establish this precedent on programs that deal with our youth, with our poor, with our aged, with our unemployed and other programs.”