Rick Lazio: “I would be happy to advocate to the Committee on Appropriations for additional vouchers, choice-based vouchers. If we…”

“I would be happy to advocate to the Committee on Appropriations for additional vouchers, choice-based vouchers. If we could find an appropriate basis to fix an authorization number, I would even be willing, in the event this amendment fails, to include that, if we could, at conference level. My position is that I do not have any basis right now in order to fix a number. I would also add that the appropriators, of course, even with an authorization, chose not to appropriate money. So there is really no reason, simply because we have a fixed number of $350 million, to presume that alone would lead the appropriators to appropriate money for that account. Because there is, of course the gentleman knows, a crisis in the project-based section 8 which needs to be resolved, and I understand that and I sympathize with the appropriators, but I am happy and pleased to advocate for additional vouchers because the need is clearly there.”