Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, President Obama promised over and over during his Presidential campaign that he would end the practice of funding the wars with supplemental funding, as we are about to do today. Then in February of 2009, during his first address to Congress, he said, ``For 7 years we have been a Nation at war. No longer will we hide its price.'' In other words, no more supplemental war funding bills. Okay, fair enough. Then in April 2009 President Obama requested $83 billion in additional funding for the wars, saying, ``This is the last planned war supplemental,'' in a letter to House Speaker Pelosi. He called for ``an honest, more accurate and fiscally responsible estimate of Federal spending'' after years of ``budget gimmicks and wasteful spending.'' Now his administration is requesting a $33 billion war funding supplemental bill and calling its passage essential. What gives? Is this a budget gimmick, or is it essential spending? Mr. Speaker, this administration can't have it both ways. We need to provide funding for our troops, and we need to do it expeditiously and without billions of pork. Unfortunately, because of the hypocrisy of this administration on this issue, we're faced today with a supplemental funding bill that is stuffed with unrelated spending that breaks another of the President's promises. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.…”