Porter Goss: “Mr. Chairman, we have not seen this amendment in this form until just a few minutes ago. I think the gentleman from New…”

“Mr. Chairman, we have not seen this amendment in this form until just a few minutes ago. I think the gentleman from New York [Mr. Solomon] has characterized the concern we have over here about it. As one reads it, it seems harmless enough, but when we think of the implications of it, it gets into a situation where we have many missions as we go through our budget work. One of them certainly is to try to cut taxes, where we can, to reduce the tax burden on the American people. Mr. Chairman, I am afraid this is so broadly worded that it talks about steps that we might take with regard to the lockbox, which could be interpreted to prohibit us from tax cuts in the same year with regard to discretionary funds. I understand what my colleague from Florida, I think, is trying to accomplish; to make sure that we basically take the savings that come out of the appropriations process and use them to reduce the deficit. And that is what this is all about, that is what the lockbox is all about. I am afraid this creates some uncertainties and goes beyond just a lockbox procedure and would tend to tie the hands of Members who would be interested in tax cuts in the same fiscal year. That, I think, Mr. Chairman, is a serious, serious matter.”