Bob Dole: “The amendment I have sent to the desk is a substitute amendment to this emergency supplemental appropriations bill. We…”

“The amendment I have sent to the desk is a substitute amendment to this emergency supplemental appropriations bill. We all agree that we must provide timely Federal disaster assistance to those affected by the devastating earthquake and fires that rocked southern California and the 500-year flood that soaked the Midwest. In person or on television, we have all seen the devastation, and the need to respond. My amendment has one simple goal: To deliver much-needed aid to the victims of these tragedies, and to do it without adding to the deficit, without sticking a lot of stuff in there that is not an emergency so that we do not have to deal with it later and cut other programs. There is no question that these emergencies are legitimate, and that the need for relief is real. We all want to provide help as quickly as we can. We also all want to contain the deficit. My amendment offers us a chance to do both. The question is simple: Are we going to ring up another $10 billion on Uncle Sam's credit card, or are we going to shift our spending priorities to pay for this essential investment?”