Byron Dorgan: “Mr. President, this has been a most unusual debate. I see a couple in this chamber who are parents who have no doubt…”

“Mr. President, this has been a most unusual debate. I see a couple in this chamber who are parents who have no doubt read their children the Berenstain Bears books. One of the Berenstain Bear books talks about the ``give me's.'' Talks about ``give me, give me, give me, give me this, give me that, give me this.'' You know, it is interesting to me as I read to my children and describe the Berenstain Bears books about ``give me,'' it reminds me a bit of the folks who come to this floor with every conceivable project, every conceivable program in national defense that is proposed by someone and says--they say, ``We have got to build this. We have got to fund it. In fact, we cannot wait. We have got to do it right now.'' I asked the question an hour and a half ago, where are you going to get the money? Where is the money? The Congressional Budget Office says this will cost $48 billion. I ask, where is the money? Are you going to charge it? Are you going to tax people for it? Where are you going to get the money? I have not heard one response in an hour and a half. And I know why, because they do not have the foggiest notion where they are going to get the money. They just have an appetite to spend it and build this program. Let me end where I began. This is $300 million the Secretary of Defense says he does not want, and we do not need, that folks who say they are opposed to the Federal deficit are now insisting we spend.”