John B. Breaux: “I rise to make some comments in general terms but directing my comments to the amendment I introduced today on behalf of…”

“I rise to make some comments in general terms but directing my comments to the amendment I introduced today on behalf of myself and Senators Nelson, Landrieu, Carnahan, Chafee, Lincoln, Bayh, Torricelli, and Jeffords. The amendment provides for a $1.25 trillion tax cut over the next 10 years for the enactment of marginal rate reductions and estate, marriage penalty, and alternative minimum tax relief, and reserves additional resources for other domestic priorities such as debt reduction, education, agriculture, defense, and prescription drugs. That is the essence of the amendment. Let me suggest to my colleagues and, indeed, to the American public, that during the Presidential elections of last year, the most important thing President Bush was able to enunciate for the American people who contributed to his victory was not a number but a concept. The number he talked about in the campaign was a $1.3 trillion tax cut for all Americans. But more important than the number was the concept in which he told the American people that if he were to come to Washington, he wanted to change the culture of the way Washington worked or, rather, the way Washington did not work. He said--I think correctly--that the American people were tired of class warfare. The American people were tired of the blame game.”