Kent Conrad: “the chart the Senator has put up here labeled ``Democrat spendometer'' is a complete fabrication, a total concoction.…”

“the chart the Senator has put up here labeled ``Democrat spendometer'' is a complete fabrication, a total concoction. That chart suggests Democrats have offered amendments costing $460 billion this year. False. Absolutely false. I know the Senator has borrowed that chart from somebody else. He did not prepare the chart, but he has used the chart, and the chart is wrong. First, the ``spendometer'' ignores the fact that many of those Democratic amendments were offset. In fact, because they included additional deficit reduction, the net effect of all Democrat amendments to the 2006 budget resolution would have reduced deficits by $57 billion. The ``spendometer'' double-counts Democratic amendments because it treats them as if they were a package instead of offered individually. Many of the Democratic amendments covered the same subject areas as an earlier amendment that was defeated and would never have been offered if the earlier amendment had been agreed to. The ``spendometer'' also overstates the cost of Democratic amendments in the most egregious way--by transferring 1-year amendments into 5- year amendments. That really strains credibility. To convert amendments that were offered for 1 year on an appropriations bill and make them into 5-year amendments in cost is a complete concoction. The fact is, on the budget resolution, Democratic amendments would have reduced the deficit by $57 billion; the net cost of Republican amendments was $79 billion.…”