David Minge: “first, I will start by complimenting my Republican colleagues for what I think is an excellent proposal and also those…”

“first, I will start by complimenting my Republican colleagues for what I think is an excellent proposal and also those Members on the Democratic side who have been so active in proposing and advocating and bringing this to the floor for a vote. The lockbox principle is important; it is very important. One can simply say, a cut is not a cut unless we have the lockbox principle in place, because as others have explained, it is altogether too easy to take the cut, reallocate it among other programs, and undermine or defeat the entire effort that took place to save money and to reduce the deficit and ultimately to balance this budget. There are aspects of this which remain troubling, and I trust that we will deal with these aspects in the weeks to come. One that is most significant, in my opinion, is the unfortunate tension that exists in our Federal Government, the tension between the House and the Senate and between the White House and Congress. And what we find is that some of these bills and provisions are lost in that process.”