David Price: “I rise to offer a modest reality check. I hope that's helpful. The gentleman from North Carolina gives an impression of…”

“I rise to offer a modest reality check. I hope that's helpful. The gentleman from North Carolina gives an impression of great precision in wanting to cut $8,961,000, and he suggests that we might want to debate tonight whether that's exactly the right figure. He suggests that without indicating, as far as I can tell, any fact or any premise on which this very precise number is based. So we will await that with interest, exactly why this much and no more and no less. Let me offer a little reality check in the form of the language from the committee report. Our committee recommended $14 million for the general counsel. By the way, that's the start of understanding this. This isn't about bureaucracy, in general. It's not about government fat, in general. It certainly has nothing to do with entitlements. It's not even about the Secretary's office, in general. This is about the general counsel's office at the Department of Homeland Security. This figure was arrived at after close consultation with that office. We recommended $14 million for the Office of General Counsel. Now, we didn't give them everything they wanted. President Bush requested $1.2 million above this. We cut that. We did not grant that full amount. Now, 77 staff, 77 is what that appropriation pays for or would pay for. That's equal to the current on-board strength.”