James Traficant: “I do not want to get in the middle of a balanced budget debate. Quite frankly, I do not think either party is going to…”

“I do not want to get in the middle of a balanced budget debate. Quite frankly, I do not think either party is going to balance the budget. I think people are going to be looking for jobs in Mexico the way things are going around here. I have been here a number of years, and I think there was only 1 year under Jim Wright where we had all of these appropriation bills done by July 4th. The American taxpayers and workers have to work till July 3 to pay for Federal taxes, State taxes, local taxes, and for the regulatory burden they have; July 3. We have staff around here that is burned out. Democrats very rarely finish their programs by the Fourth of July. I dearly love the ranking chairman, the former chairman of the Committee on Rules. This is no slight to the chairman. I am going to vote for the rule. I am going to vote for the resolution. I am going to vote to adjourn. The Republican Party is at least working on these particular issues. I think we have gone an hour on this. Quite frankly, I have never seen this happen before. Now, my last recollection was 1998, Jim Wright, we had all these appropriation bills done on time. We have set no record ourself. I am going to vote for the rule, and I am going to vote for the resolution. I think as a body we should consider the staff that works here. Sometimes they go till 3 in the morning, get back at 7, and I think we should be a little more considerate.”