Jim Nussle: “Mr. Chairman, well, we are coming to the end of this very important debate. We have heard a lot of discussion and debate…”

“Mr. Chairman, well, we are coming to the end of this very important debate. We have heard a lot of discussion and debate today about plans and who has got a plan and who does not have a plan. Let us review the bidding very quickly. The President in response to September 11, the national emergency, the war against terrorism and a recession in our economy put a plan on the table in February. It was not a perfect plan. There has never been in the United States history a perfect budget plan, but he has one. What did we do in committee last week? We took that plan and we made it better. How? We said special education is going to get a little bit extra. Veterans are going to get a little bit extra. Science is going to get a little bit extra. Homeland security can get extra. We are going to treat defense, and all sorts of things that we thought were important priorities with a little extra, and the President today said the Republican plan is better. We have taken the President's plan and we have made a better plan.”