Cord Byrd: “I thank the Chair. The distinguished chairman has alluded to the sometimes ill will that exists increasingly within our…”

“I thank the Chair. The distinguished chairman has alluded to the sometimes ill will that exists increasingly within our own premises. That ill will is often engendered by the meddling of the White House. The White House should not meddle in the business of the Congress. Congress should pass bills and the President can decide whether to sign or to veto them. Last year, the President stepped in late in the debate on the Omnibus appropriations bill and forced the conferees to drop protection for workers to earn overtime. He forced us to change the media ownership rules in order to protect large corporate interests. We should not allow the President to force the Congress to consider legislation through reconciliation. Moreover, I say to my friend from Oklahoma, this amendment is not about tax cuts. It is about paying for tax cuts. This budget resolution assumes that our gross debt will grow to $10.6 trillion by 2009. This resolution does nothing to address the staggering debt. In fact, it assumes $144 billion of additional tax cuts with $81 billion of tax cuts cloaked within the protection of reconciliation. We should insist on a full debate on whether these tax cuts should be paid for. We do not need reconciliation to get things done. In 1981, we passed President Reagan's tax cuts without reconciliation. Reconciliation was designed to pass difficult legislation that would help to reduce the deficit. It was not designed to pass tax cuts. We are facing huge deficits.”