Chuck Schumer: “I am aware of it, and it frustrates me to no end. Senator Byrd has had amendments, Senator Murray has had amendments…”

“I am aware of it, and it frustrates me to no end. Senator Byrd has had amendments, Senator Murray has had amendments, Senator Corzine has had amendments, Senator Clinton and I have had amendments, one after the other, and they are turned down. I say to my colleague from Nevada, I have asked people in the administration, both present and former--a few who quit in disgust--are President Bush and his people not aware of the dangers? They basically say, no, they are aware of the dangers, but they don't want to spend any money here at home. They would rather have all the money go to tax cuts, and so it is not that they do nothing in each of these areas; they do the bare minimum: Let's have a study and let it take 2 years. Let's decide on what to do down the road. For every year we wait, we become more vulnerable.”