Political Quotes

“as a member of the Budget Committee, I rise in strong opposition to the motion to instruct. Mr. Kasich's motion would instruct the House conferees to agree to the Exon-Grassley amendment which would cut discretionary spending by an additional $26 billion in outlays over 5 years. This is an additional cut of 25 percent above and beyond the discretionary cuts of $102 billion in last year's budget package. This is simply unacceptable. Yes, the deficit is important, along with sustaining economic recovery. We know that increased productivity is one of the factors driving the recovery so why would we vote to cut education $1.4 billion when we know that education drives productivity. This country needs a balanced economic policy and last year's budget package put the deficit on a downward trend. But balance is not cutting education, or cutting criminal justice programs by $986 million on the same day we begin to debate the crime bill. Balance is about setting priorities. Yes, the deficit is a priority, along with other equally important priorities. A recent GAO report found that the number of poor children in the Nation grew by 26 percent between 1980 and 1990. And in my home town of Hartford, CT, nearly half of the children 2 and under, live in poverty. I stand here today to say that each and every one of those children is a priority. Let us look at where the real problem lies.…”