Pete Domenici: “let me say to anyone listening to this debate, you would think that those who want the big spending bill that is in the…”

“let me say to anyone listening to this debate, you would think that those who want the big spending bill that is in the guise of helping children stop smoking--you would think they have not had an opportunity on the floor of the Senate to present their case. If one would take this discussion and say that is the only discussion we have had on the so-called cigarette tax bill, that would be one thing. But my recollection, without checking the record, is that we have debated this issue for 4 weeks. Is that not correct, I ask the chairman of the subcommittee? Four weeks of floor time, with scores of amendments and so many hours of debate that I am assuming even the American people who watch C-SPAN wondered, ``How much longer are you going to discuss this?'' Now we come to the floor on an appropriations bill that everybody knows has to be passed and signed by October 1 or we close down all of agriculture in America, and up comes the cigarette bill and a debate starts: ``The Republicans don't want to let us vote.'' I don't know anything about the lack of ability to amend the amendment, but I do know this. This amendment is for real in terms of its budgetary impacts. As a matter of fact, if this were on the bill when it came out of committee, it would be subject to a point of order and the whole bill would fall. That is how important it is, because it overspends what is allocated to the Subcommittee on Agriculture by $8 billion.”