Political Quotes

“Mr. President, this amendment is based on the absurd premise that the unemployment insurance benefits piece alone must be paid for, lest we contribute to the deficit. Never mind that this entire package contributes $858 billion to the deficit, of which only $51 billion is accounted for by the UI extension provision. It is clear that this amendment is not about deficit reduction; rather, it is about attacking programs that make a real difference to the everyday lives of our constituents. Meanwhile, this amendment leaves the tax benefits to the wealthiest Americans, those who need the least assistance, completely intact. Let me be clear. There are a few ideas proposed in this amendment that make some sense. However, as part of the Appropriations Committee's annual and ongoing oversight responsibilities, the committee has already rescinded unobligated balances from those programs or reduced their funding for fiscal year 2011 as part of the fiscal year 2011 omnibus, which the Senate will consider this week. Every recommendation in the omnibus was made in collaboration with Republican members of the Appropriations Committee, based on a detailed analysis. These decisions were not made rashly, nor because they might sound good in a press release. Too often when the Senate debates cuts in unobligated balances, the proponents want to ignore the consequences of their recommendations and focus on broad generalizations. But in reality these cuts can cause serious problems.…”