Political Quotes

“I don't know of any Senators on this side of the aisle who desire to debate this issue any further. We have had a full debate of all of the issues surrounding this amendment--the issues of disaster and income assistance. I observe that the proposal that is now before the Senate, offered by the Senators from North Dakota and Iowa and others who may be cosponsors, is very similar to the amendment that has already been voted on, on a motion to table the Daschle-Harkin amendment. On that vote, the motion to table was agreed to. There are some reductions in the individual items of assistance that are included in the bill, but the bill is basically the same bill substantively and in terms of the procedures used to deliver the disaster assistance. We were told also that the earlier bill had been estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to cost over $11 billion. It had been advertised as having a cost of $10.793 billion. This has been revised downward from that previous estimate to $9.83 billion. The individual items we observe that have been changed: There is $100 million less for dairy. There is a reduction in the livestock assistance program from $200 million to $150 million. There was a so-called flooded land program at $250 million in the earlier proposal which is now $150 million.”