Political Quotes

“I have noticed a very consistent lack of consistency on the Republican side. This bill carries it out. We are worried that people will get Federal money and use it to lobby us, so we have to ask them to report it, except we exempt the vast majority of recipients. Contractors are exempted from this. Members will remember that the U.S. Senate, in a rare demonstration of an ability to pass legislation, made a mistake last year, because they passed a version of this and they included contractors, and Blue Cross went into cardiac arrest. Fortunately, they waived their own rules so they could be treated. But they then got into the CR, in a very inappropriate legislative way, an amendment to that bill, and contractors are not covered, and they are not covered here. If people want to lobby us to build a B-2 and get more money, this bill does not touch them. If people want to lobby us to build the space station or to raise provider payments or do anything like that, this bill does not touch them. Apparently, the new Republican view is if you are engaged in charity, you are suspect. We hear a lot on that side about how the private, voluntary sector should do more, but they are treated as suspects, because if you are in the private, voluntary sector and you get Federal funds lawfully to carry out a program, we are going to check up on you.”