Kent Conrad: “I come to the floor as chairman of the Budget Committee to simply say this bill doesn't spend a dime. This is an…”

“I come to the floor as chairman of the Budget Committee to simply say this bill doesn't spend a dime. This is an authorizing bill. This bill authorizes projects. That makes them eligible for appropriations. That is all it does. It says to the Appropriations Committee that these projects have been reviewed, and they are authorized by the appropriate responsible committee. That is the first and necessary step, but it is not the step that can spend a dime. The Appropriations Committee is the only committee here that can actually create spending from this bill. So I think it is very important for people to realize that basic fact. I thank the Chair, and I thank very much the chairman and ranking member for a very professional job of managing this bill.”