Political Quotes

“The reason we are here, of course, is to deal with the budget. I think that is a very important part of what we do in this Congress. It has to do with funding programs, but it has also to do with determining what our spending is going to be in the year. Frankly, for many of us, having some idea, some control over spending is one of the key issues we face. The amendment I am offering would bring some transparency, restraint, and I hope discipline to this budgeting process. The budget resolution is supposed to provide the blueprint for Government spending and allocate dollars for appropriators in the future. That is what it is for. That is why we do it in the budget, so that for this year we will have a budget that says: Here are the programs, here are the dollars, this is what we do. To be sure, it is a difficult task. It is always difficult, and there are limited resources and always unlimited demands and infinite requests. It is a tough job putting together a budget. However, it requires hard choices. I understand that. It is a time when we make choices among the competing priorities, and that is what budgeting is for. That is, in fact, the purpose of the budget. I am concerned, in this budget, about the reserve funds that are placed there. This budget abdicates responsibility in a number of areas and fails to even set a cap on overall spending.”