Sean Patrick Maloney: “a 1-percent across-the-board cut is one of the most half-baked wacky ways to balance a budget this country has ever…”

“a 1-percent across-the-board cut is one of the most half-baked wacky ways to balance a budget this country has ever seen. One leg of the federal government that needs no budget trimming is the Decennial Census. And I thought the House leadership knew that-- because just a few weeks ago, we were told that the Census budget is so crucial that it is ``an emergency.'' And now, we're being told that the Census budget should be cut. Well, is the Census an emergency or should it be cut? This cut to the Census Bureau's budget will lead to a less accurate census. Can the Republican leadership tell me where there is waste, fraud or abuse in the Census Bureau? Because, the GAO cannot. The GAO released a report only last month that said there was no waste in the budget for the 2000 Census! Mr. Speaker, the Census, has had its budget called an emergency one week and had its budget cut the next. This is wacky.”