Kent Conrad: “First, the budget resolution does not make these individual policy determinations. The effect of this amendment will…”

“First, the budget resolution does not make these individual policy determinations. The effect of this amendment will simply be to cut domestic discretionary spending $18 billion. Understand the programs that have been identified in the PART program are results not proven. If this did apply as the Senator suggests, here are programs affected: Border Patrol, Coast Guard search and rescue, high-intensity drug trafficking areas, LIHEAP, rural education, child abuse prevention, and treatment. If there is a problem in those programs, they ought to be fixed. We ought not to be cutting Border Patrol, Coast Guard search and rescue, high-intensity drug trafficking areas, LIHEAP, rural education, and the rest. I urge a ``no'' vote.”