Jim Nussle: “maybe I can expedite this. Maybe it is my upbringing or whatever it is, but I have a difficult time having my friends…”

“maybe I can expedite this. Maybe it is my upbringing or whatever it is, but I have a difficult time having my friends from the Committee on Rules trying to sweep under the rug or cover for mistakes that I am responsible for. I am the chairman of the Committee on the Budget. This is a conference report that at least from the House perspective I am responsible to file and file correctly. That was not done. That is my responsibility. Two pages were missing. I am not exactly sure I can tell you precisely how those two pages were missing. The fact is they were missing when they were filed. Upon discovery of that mistake, a decision had to be made how to proceed. We had a couple of choices. One is to continue this. Now it is 2 o'clock. Right or wrong, I do not think probably it is the best way to proceed to just continue this. What we thought we would do is to, now that of course you have a copy of the budget, with the two pages, you have got now until Tuesday, I think, to take a look at this. Certainly that will be a new opportunity that both sides would probably enjoy. And then we will have an opportunity in the light of day to have a good debate and discussion on that budget and pass it. But as far as all of the discussion about whose responsibility it is and the joking and everything else, the buck stops here. It was my responsibility to do it. You can blame everything from computers to staff, it does not matter, it was my responsibility, and I am the person.”