Jerry Moran: “I appreciate the comments offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards). I will have to admit to him that my…”

“I appreciate the comments offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards). I will have to admit to him that my amendment is not unintentional, and so his assumption that the offset that I'm providing is an unintentional offering on my part is not true. I'm aware of where the money comes from and still believe that this is a high priority. And, in fact, this bill, the medical administration account, receives a 14 rac{1}{2} percent, $458 million, increase over last year's funding levels, and $193 million more than the President requested in fiscal year 2008. And, in fact, our authorizing committee, both the minority and majority views, accepted those, the President's recommendation, as our suggested funding levels. So again, in searching year after year for a place from which this money can come, it is not without concern that we have chosen these accounts. But this is the year in which there is a 14.5 percent increase in those funds. And even if my amendment would be adopted, it would still allow for a 10.6 percent increase in those administrative accounts. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.”