Political Quotes

“For the rule that my colleagues brought out that they brag is an open rule that deals with the budget allocations for this country, if it is adopted, I am not going to be able to offer any amendments to adjust those budget allocations, because it is not even germane to the rule that is being brought out to consider the MILCON bill. Be honest out here as to how my colleagues are handling this. This is not the regular procedures of the House. The regular procedures of the House would be that we would adopt a budget resolution, and that would become the allocations. That is supposed to be done by April 15. My colleagues missed that deadline. So now the Committee on the Budget chairman is supposed to give allocations. The Committee on the Budget chairman has different views than the Committee on Appropriations chairman. So the Committee on the Budget chairman is not even here to defend these allocations. Let me just compliment my friend, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt), because he offered an alternative budget that dealt with discretionary spending which was in compliance with the Balanced Budget Act of last year. My colleagues are now accepting some of the allocations from the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt), but our problem is how are we going to pay for it? Are we going to go into the surplus and use the surplus and not protect Social Security? Are we going to cut Medicare? How are we going to pay for this?”