Ted Yoho: “I appreciate the chairman and ranking member's opposition. I would like to remind them that this amendment is a…”

“I appreciate the chairman and ranking member's opposition. I would like to remind them that this amendment is a necessary step in reducing the size and scope of the Federal Government. We are approaching $20 trillion in debt. That approximates to about $60,000 for every man, woman, and child in America. When we talked about nonessential employees, I didn't have any in my office. Everybody in my office was essential, so we didn't lay anybody off. We didn't put them off. The gentleman laughs, which is fine. The executive departments and agencies have gradually taken on the personification of the 1958 horror flick, ``The Blob.'' Departments like the DOE are consuming everything in their path and increasing their own presence in the private sector. At what point do we say enough is enough? At what point do we say we are going to get our spending under control? This is a small, 5 percent incremental change to the Department of Energy. It is not specific because it gives the flexibility to the Department to come up with the changes that it wants, keeping in mind that our Federal Government's number one task is national security; so the people who are tasked to run the Department of Energy can make the commonsense and the needed reforms that they need to. Again, in the private sector, you see the major companies changing and laying off people as they need to.…”