J. Exon: “it seems to me, if I heard the leader of the committee correctly, that he has essentially all but endorsed the…”

“it seems to me, if I heard the leader of the committee correctly, that he has essentially all but endorsed the bipartisan commission with the one exception of Social Security. And if we are that close maybe--just maybe--we can solve the problem. But I would remind all that when we get that close there is going to have to be some give and take on both sides in a compromise. So, Mr. President, I want to salute my friends, Senator Chafee from Rhode Island, Senator Breaux from Louisiana, and all of their associates for their stamina in their efforts to find a middle ground in this very, very important debate. Yet, I must say that, while I think this has been extremely helpful, I suggest that they keep on searching. But since I am convinced that they are searching in the crunch of numbers much closer to the President's budget than the Republican budget, there is no question in my mind that they can be helpful in reaching a workable compromise that I have not heard anybody object to tonight. I think everybody is saying we are closer than some people think. But I suggest that they keep working, and I will outline some of the--only three--key points that I have some concern about, and I suggest that the President might have some concerns about. That does not mean that we do not want to talk. That does not mean that we are saying the Republican budget is impossible to work with.”