Paul Tonko: “I thank you, Representative Yarmuth, and thank you for leading the next 30 minutes of discussion here which I think are…”

“I thank you, Representative Yarmuth, and thank you for leading the next 30 minutes of discussion here which I think are very critical to the lives of Americans, the American public and American working families across our Nation. It is an honor to serve with you on our Budget Committee as we spent countless hours yesterday dealing with a saga of a budget for 2012. Just as we're trying to avoid a shutdown of America's government this very hour, they are also pushing through in a rather rushed format a 2012 fiscal plan that takes the pain and suffering of the 2011 plan and expands it exponentially. They grow it drastically, the pain for 2012. As you indicated, these are choices that we have before us. I believe firmly that our budgets, whatever level--Federal, State, local--are a reflection of our values, our principles, our priorities. That's where we are now, whether we are trying to avoid a shutdown for the 2011 fiscal year which is looming over us, or whether we are putting together the 2012 fiscal plan. It is about priorities and values and principles that we hold near and dear. It is also a statement on an economic agenda. I have before me here this chart that speaks about the 1.8 million jobs that have been added since last year, since 2010; 1.8 million private sector jobs. You can see the precipitous drop that came with the red ink of the close of the Bush recession. And then early in 2009, we began to recover.…”