Chris Chocola: “Mr. Chairman, let me just conclude by saying as I started out that this amendment is straightforward, and it is about…”

“Mr. Chairman, let me just conclude by saying as I started out that this amendment is straightforward, and it is about simplicity and honesty. I think we owe the American people a simplified budget that they can understand, and by reducing the number of budget functions from 20 to 5, I think we are accomplishing that goal. The 20 budget functions that we have already, as has been pointed out, are unenforceable and too often ignored in the budget appropriations process, and we are simply budgeting money that we know we are going to spend. Every single year we spend Federal money for emergencies that we spend above the budget and appropriated levels. So we are being honest with the American people, which I think they deserve. So I encourage my colleagues to support this amendment, because it is based on simplicity and honesty. It is exactly what we should be doing here every day, exactly what the American taxpayers and the American citizens deserve.”