Political Quotes

“Mr. President, in the budget that has been put forward, there is a reconciliation instruction for almost $1 trillion of new taxes. On the spending side there is, I think, a relatively modest amount--not adequate--but there is an amount of health care savings in the amount of $275 billion. Interestingly, that is not in a reconciliation instruction. We do not have the protection and assistance of a reconciliation instruction for the economy reforms that are in the budget but we do for the tax increases that are in the budget which results in this interesting circumstance. The tax increases by this budget would be guaranteed to occur because the filibuster would be avoided through reconciliation, and the reforms of the entitlement system would be guaranteed not to occur because they would face a 60-vote margin, having been kept out of the reconciliation instructions. What this amendment does is it would put the health care savings in the budget into a reconciliation instruction so we can at least start down the path of dealing with reforms of our entitlement system. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Warren). The Senator from Washington.”