Political Quotes

“when it comes to our budget deliberations, the temptation of politics has often made our search for a balanced budget a difficult one. For a long time, I think all Members of this body would agree that too much time was spent aggressively defending narrow or partisan interests. Personal political interests were sometimes placed above pressing national interests. And common, bipartisan objectives were too seldom charted or pursued. The result for our Nation is now as widely known as it was troublesome: Spending kept expanding. Deficits kept rising. And confidence in Government kept diminishing. But here today, Mr. President, with a balanced budget plan before us for the first time in 28 years, it's encouraging to think that we may be reaching a new beginning. Much of the credit for bringing us to this point belongs to the chairman of the Budget Committee, Pete Domenici. The chairman has demonstrated his unwavering commitment to a balanced budget during his years of service on the Budget Committee, and, ultimately, it was his leadership that brought both sides to the table and made this day possible. For his ongoing efforts, I believe that the chairman is deserving of our thanks--and the thanks of generations of Americans to come. Let me also thank our majority leader, Trent Lott, for his effort and commitment to making this agreement possible, and the President of the United States for his willingness to negotiate and compromise.”