Political Quotes

“First, I have to differ with my friend, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Stenholm]. He has been a consistent and principal supporter of deficit reduction. When he said the amendment I am offering does not guarantee defense reduction, he was right, but I must say I think he overspoke when he suggested that it was unrelated to deficit reduction. You cannot in the budget resolution repeal statutory caps. I concede that. What I can do is to do away with budget authority. Budget authority is what this process cedes to the appropriations committees to make binding future spending commitments. When you reduce budget authority by $2.4 billion, as this does, you take away $2.4 billion in future spending commitments. That is why the National Taxpayers' Union and Citizens Against Government Waste have endorsed this, because it greatly advances the cause of deficit reduction. Let us now talk about the reductions that have already held. Several Members here eloquently refuted a statement that no one has made. No one has suggested that there have not been cuts in defense spending. The question is: Have they been appropriate? Yes, there have been cuts in defense spending. Partly that is because during the early 1980's, when we had a Commander-in-Chief named Ronald Reagan, defense spending was bloated. Beyond that, however, there has been a change in the reality that the Defense Department confronts.”