Mike Pence: “Facts are stubborn things, Mr. Chairman. The CJS bill spends $53.6 billion. This amendment would reduce that by 1.4…”

“Facts are stubborn things, Mr. Chairman. The CJS bill spends $53.6 billion. This amendment would reduce that by 1.4 percent, but it would still allow for an increase in the Commerce-Justice, and Science spending. With the passage of this amendment that is being characterized as a cut in the CJS budget, this bill still increases by nearly $1 billion compared to last year. And let me be clear on what we are trying to do, I think what the gentleman from Georgia is trying to do here, and that is we are trying to find a way to avoid having to raise taxes the way the Democrats are planning to do in the farm bill later today. I mean, the Democrat majority is planning to bring a $7.5 billion tax increase to the floor of the Congress in the context of the farm bill later today, and we are just trying to take this opportunity to make a cut in a single year that, if we did it over 10 years, we wouldn't have to raise taxes. Now, that is being characterized as the work of a small minority versus a bipartisan majority.”