Jim Nussle: “I rise reluctantly today in opposition to this resolution and I would like to explain why. I support Congress taking the…”

“I rise reluctantly today in opposition to this resolution and I would like to explain why. I support Congress taking the necessary legislative steps, since Congress has not yet passed an appropriation bill for many of the subcommittees of jurisdiction, so that we can ensure the continuous operation of the government; but I believe there is a better way to accomplish this; and, therefore, I cannot support this resolution. It is on one principled basis, and that is that we need to control spending. The resolution provides a funding formula that I believe is flawed. The formula assumes that all one-time emergency spending passed by the Congress in response to the events of September 11 continues permanently. There is probably no better example of the problem and an illustration of this problem than the Pentagon. Under this flawed formula, funding for rebuilding the Pentagon would continue every year in perpetuity, even though the Pentagon has been rebuilt.”