Political Quotes

“I appreciate the comments of the Senator from Alabama. He is concerned, as we all are, with our current fiscal situation, our debts and our deficits. I might add--this is not an excuse; it is clear we Americans have a problem that has to be addressed--other countries are in the same fix. It is not just America. But again, that is no excuse. Our deficits are high primarily because of the financial crisis, working our way through all that. The real test is whether we as a country, when times get better and incomes increase, live much more within our means. I certainly hope so. I know every Senator in this body hopes so. More precisely, the Senator from Alabama seeks to place caps on the appropriated accounts. That is pretty much the same amendment the Senate rejected about a month ago; I think it was January 28. I believe the pending Sessions amendment addresses matters within the jurisdiction of the Budget Committee. It therefore violates section 306 of the Congressional Budget Act. I will not raise that point of order at this time, but I believe the amendment does violate the Budget Act. Furthermore, this subject is really more within the purview of the Appropriations Committee. I defer to the chairman of the Budget Committee to address this amendment in due course. I also note that the Senator from Minnesota has been waiting very patiently to speak. We are all anxious to hear from the Senator from Minnesota, so I yield the floor.”