Kent Conrad: “Frankly, I have some sympathy for the argument advanced by the Senator from Texas. There may be some policy reason to…”

“Frankly, I have some sympathy for the argument advanced by the Senator from Texas. There may be some policy reason to have very low-income adults covered with some SCHIP money, but this is supposed to be a program directed at children. Whatever the merits of the Cornyn amendment, there is a very serious problem with the Cornyn amendment that leads me to oppose it, and I ask colleagues to oppose it. That is, this isn't the place for the Cornyn amendment. The simple fact is, the budget resolution does not determine the policy on SCHIP. It has nothing to do with the policy on SCHIP-- nothing, zero. This is a policy question that will be before the Finance Committee. Let us review what a budget resolution does and does not do. A budget resolution gives an instruction to the Finance Committee of how much money they need to raise to meet the budget. It tells them how much money they have to spend in the various categories under their jurisdiction. It does not tell them one word of what the policy is related to those fundings. That is not the role of the budget resolution.”