Political Quotes

“I would like to thank Chairman Frelinghuysen, Ranking Member Visclosky, and Chairman Rogers for their efforts. I particularly want to thank Chairman Frelinghuysen and Ranking Member Visclosky for working in such a cooperative manner. However, the two parties remain very far apart in their approach to the appropriations process. Our differences were plainly evident during consideration of the fiscal year 2016 budget resolution. Not one of my Democratic colleagues supported the majority's budget because it maintained sequestration levels. As the President said: the majority has returned our economy to the same top-down economics that has failed us before and slashes investments in the middle class that we need to grow the economy. During debate on the previous five appropriations bills, my majority colleagues argued strenuously that allocations at the sequester level were nonnegotiable. They argued our committee was hamstrung by the Budget Control Act and that we were powerless to renegotiate another sequester relief package, as had been done under the Murray-Ryan agreement 2 years ago. At the same time, others on our committee told the press that ``pressure would build'' to address sequestration or pass a continuing resolution because sequester-level bills cannot be enacted. The Defense bill before us appears to be operating under a different set of rules, with funding over the magical sequester level, a level we were told was the law of the land.…”