Dan Coats: “I asked the Senator from Michigan if he would assume the chair so I could take the opportunity to come down to the floor…”

“I asked the Senator from Michigan if he would assume the chair so I could take the opportunity to come down to the floor to compliment my colleague, Senator Mack from Florida. He outlined for the Senate, and for those who are observing, the real concern and the deep anxiety that exists among many Americans today about their future and their family's future. A concern that I think is now becoming almost universally shared about the impact of the decisions, or lack of decisions, that Washington has made. This inability of Congress and the President to make decisions impact their future in a negative way. We have not faced up to some of the difficult choices that clearly must be made if we are going to put our economy on an upward path, and if we are going to offer and provide opportunity for the young people of the next generation of America, not to mention this current generation that is struggling with that economic anxiety. The Senator from Florida put his finger on the most immediate items that we in this Congress and with this President can address in answering these particular problems. We can provide immediate relief to Americans today by doing what they have asked us to do, and that is examine the role, the function, the scope, and the size of Government. We can address what virtually a universe of Americans now believe--this Government tries to do too much, it is too big, it spends too much.”