Kent Conrad: “No. I think the Senator stated it well. This provides, No. 1, a budget for this year and a budget for next year and caps…”

“No. I think the Senator stated it well. This provides, No. 1, a budget for this year and a budget for next year and caps spending at those amounts. The number for this year is the number the President sent us, $768 billion. It is not the same policy the President sent us, but it is the same total amount of spending that the President sent us. In addition to that, there are the various budget disciplines that expire at the end of September that Senator Feingold is extending in his amendment. I might say, I know Senator Feingold worked this out on a bipartisan basis. There were other Senators on the other side of the aisle who were involved with negotiating this amendment. I can tell you there have been many discussions with Members on both sides with respect to the number and with respect to a continuation of the budget disciplines. This was not something that was done in a partisan way or just on one side of the aisle. This is the result of lengthy discussions over an extended period of time with Senators on both sides.”