Political Quotes

“Mr. President, while we are waiting for further debate on the Defense authorization bill and any possible amendments, I wanted to offer a couple of comments regarding all of the concern in the Nation about the fiscal cliff as we approach that fateful day of December 31 and the need to get something done. In the opinion of this Senator, sequestration, which is this additional cut of $1 trillion in a most unorthodox way, is like a meat cleaver coming down and cutting off--I am rounding here--$\1/2\ trillion off defense and $\1/2\ trillion off nondefense discretionary. Sequestration, let us remember, in the historical context was never supposed to happen. Sequestration was a mechanism that was set up in the Budget Control Act in August 2011, almost a year and a half ago. The act called for $1 trillion to be cut off of the top to begin with, and it set up a process by which additional deficit reduction over a 10-year period would occur. That process was--after the $1 trillion was whacked off, which it already has been--a supercommittee of six from the House and six from the Senate would deliberate and a majority vote of that committee of 12 could determine additional deficit reduction that would apply over the next 10 years.…”