Dick Durbin: “I stand with the Senator from Mississippi. We may be from opposite political parties, but I certainly agree with him…”

“I stand with the Senator from Mississippi. We may be from opposite political parties, but I certainly agree with him that the suggestion by the Senator from Ohio does not serve the best interests of this country. Imagine if his proposal went through and we were faced with inadequate funding for medical care for our veterans. I am sorry to say the Senator from Ohio has suggested that we would have last year's level of funding with potentially a 4-percent cut. It would be the same for fighting fires and the National Institutes of Health. There would be a 4-percent cut in medical research. I think what we are doing, if we accept this approach, is giving up our responsibility that the taxpayers sent us to carry out; that is, to make careful choices when it comes to budgets. I just want to be on the record supporting my colleague from Mississippi. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.”