Trent Lott: “If Senator Daschle will allow me to comment on the remarks he made before I came to the Chamber, I think it is a wise…”

“If Senator Daschle will allow me to comment on the remarks he made before I came to the Chamber, I think it is a wise agreement or decision to move the homeland issue over to the appropriations area and allow us to go forward to see if we can find a way to come to agreement on the stimulus package. I didn't hear exactly what was said, but I think this is a good thing to do. We need to do it sooner, not later. If we didn't get started communicating bicamerally and bipartisanly until next week, it would make it even more difficult to get our work done in a reasonable period of time. I believe the parameters of the agreement are out there and pretty obvious. We don't want it to be just a spending program that doesn't contribute in a stimulative way to the economy. You can argue that some spending would have more effect than others. Some of the program is going to have to be aimed at the unemployed and the health needs of the unemployed. We have to also make sure we have provisions in there, whether they are tax or even spending, that will have a quick effect on the economy and a positive effect in encouraging growth. So I think within those parameters, which we all seem to be saying in the same way--although we are accused of not caring about the working families; that is clearly not our intent--we want to make sure people who lost their jobs have the help they need. More importantly, we want to help them get a job. So I think to get started is a positive thing.”