On the recordFebruary 10, 2011
saying you want to cut government spending is an easy applause line. We all want to lower the deficit. We all wish Americans had less debt sitting in the treasuries of other countries. None of us wants to leave the most difficult decisions to the next generation. They deserve better from us. But actually figuring out what and where to cut is the hard work. That is an entirely different story. The American people do not need to hear an applause line. They need us to ease the burden on our Nation's bottom line, and there is a fine line between doing so responsibly and recklessly. It is our job to do that hard work, to figure out what and where to cut, to do the math carefully and practically and with common sense. It is our responsibility to remember we are not just taking numbers off a ledger. In many cases, these proposals may mean taking workers off the assembly line, taking teachers out of the classroom or police officers off the street. I want to talk about taking police officers off the street. In the Republicans' haste to make as many cuts as possible, they have proposed eliminating the COPS hiring program.
