Political Quotes

“I certainly want to express my appreciation for the leadership they have given on this very critical issue over the years. Time and time again, Mr. Chairman, the voters of Maine and the rest of the country have sent Congress an unmistakable signal that they want the Congress to change the way in which it conducts its fiscal business as well as addressing the issues concerning the national budget. Nothing would better personify the fact that we have gotten the message of change from the voters than enacting a constitutional amendment to balance the budget. This debate marks the seventh time since 1982 that we have had this debate in either Chamber of the Congress. Each time we have debated this issue, we have heard time and time again that all we need to balance the budget is the will to act or the courage. They have told us in debate after debate, vote after vote that we can balance the budget without a constitutional amendment. And, of course, we have never been able to achieve a balanced budget in all of that time. In fact, the lowest deficit level Congress has reached in this last decade was $150 billion in fiscal year 1987, under the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act.”