Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of this amendment. I appreciate the chairman's inclusion of amendments from Democratic Members. I am particularly pleased to see amendments increasing funds for small-business programs that support investments directly into our communities. Specifically, this amendment boosts funding by a total of $20 million for entrepreneurial development grants. In addition, this package provides increased funding for the Tax Counseling for the Elderly program at the IRS, ensuring that more elderly taxpayers receive efficient and quality tax assistance. It also boosts funding for the Community Development Financial Institution Fund for Native Communities programs. Another especially effective and much-needed program in this bill is the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Act. This amendment provides an additional $15 million to the amount provided in the underlying bill. The Drug-Free Communities program, also critically important, benefits from a funding increase. These are Federal investments that matter, and I support them all. I would be remiss, however, if I did not point out that some of the offsets relied upon in this en bloc give me pause. Due to the irresponsibly low funding level allocated in the Financial Services bill, it is, frankly, not possible to find pay-fors that will not cause damage elsewhere in the bill.…”