Chris Van Hollen: “I want to thank Senator Collins for working on an emergency basis to fix this problem in the House bill. She said it…”

“I want to thank Senator Collins for working on an emergency basis to fix this problem in the House bill. She said it well, so I only want to emphasize two points. One, what the House did does not save the Federal taxpayer one penny--not one penny. What it does is cap what the District of Columbia can spend in using its own money and based on its own decisions. So taxpayers are not saved a dime by what they did nor will they gain by our fix. The people of the District of Columbia should be able to make these decisions, and if they are having to make a budget with $1 billion less, it will mean fewer resources, fewer firefighters, and less money for schools. So I want to thank the Senator from Maine for working with us on this. I am pleased to be joined by my colleagues from Virginia and Maryland--Senator Warner, Senator Alsobrooks, and Senator Kaine. We urge its adoption unanimously. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.”