Political Quotes

“My expectation is that there would be four-corners discussion, as we have referred to it, with the Republican and Democrat House and Senate leaders included in those discussions. Unfortunately, as you know, the Senate has not passed any appropriations bills, and there was no agreement on a top line. That has been the discussion. The difference, as the gentleman probably knows, is discussions about what is the top line for defense discretionary and what is the top line for nondefense discretionary. As I understand it, the parties have started talking in the Senate on that issue. We are waiting for, I think, agreement, and hopefully that agreement will be reached soon, hopefully as soon as perhaps the beginning of next week because the gentleman is absolutely correct, on December 16, the authority to fund the government ends, and we are either going to have to pass a short-term CR, a longer-term CR or, more preferably, the omnibus. I will say, as the gentleman knows--he indicated I was returning to the Appropriations Committee--we talk about a CR adversely affects the defense, and it does. You can't plan if you are a manager of any of the programs in the Defense Department. But I would also bring to the attention of Members, it harms every agency and department of government because it makes them unable to plan on what resources they have available to do the work we have asked them to do by law.…”