Political Quotes

“I am pleased to join Senator Kerrey and others in offering this amendment. This amendment is the result of a long process that began last year when a bipartisan group of Senators met to develop a list of significant spending cuts. Many of us felt that the deficit reduction plan passed last year relied too heavily on tax increases rather than on spending cuts to meet its goals. History has shown that, without strict limits on spending, tax increases will simply go to new spending rather than to reduce the deficit. In early September, a number of Senators, led by Senator Kerrey, began discussions about how to craft a list of spending cuts that was substantial enough to have a real impact on the deficit and balanced enough to have political support in the Congress. A similar effort, led by Congressman Penny and Congressman Kasich, was underway in the House of Representatives. While there are some important differences between the Kerrey-Brown plan and the Penny-Kasich plan in the House, both efforts grew out of the strong conviction that spending cuts must lead the way in reducing the deficit.”