Frank Lautenberg: “Yes. Mr. President, I sat and listened here with wonderment. We are about ready to say, ``Let's get rid of this other…”

“Yes. Mr. President, I sat and listened here with wonderment. We are about ready to say, ``Let's get rid of this other thing because that will make us behave like responsible citizens. That's the only way we can do it.'' We heard the same speeches, with all due respect, about whether or not we needed a balanced budget amendment because we cannot discipline ourselves, and, thank the Lord, that failed. And we did not alter the Constitution, and we did not get into the ridiculous kind of arguments that we would have. We just went out and did it. To my friends on the other side I would say, have faith, have faith in your own ability that you can make a difference. You have a majority. Let us change it. But if you want to burn down the house so we can be forced to move and find another location, I think that is a pretty poor way of conducting business. I see what the distinguished Senator from New Mexico has proposed as an alternative, something that promotes economic growth, something that is a low tax rate. This amendment would delete the provision in the resolution calling for scrapping the tax code without an alternative. Instead, the amendment calls for the continued tax deductibility of home mortgage interest and charitable contributions. I share the frustration of most Americans about the Internal Revenue Service, and believe strongly that we must pass IRS reform legislation as soon as possible. The House approved similar legislation last year.”