Don Nickles: “I will just state that this Senator is going to vote against it, and this will probably be one we will have a rollcall…”

“I will just state that this Senator is going to vote against it, and this will probably be one we will have a rollcall vote on tomorrow. It does increase the authorization of this program by fivefold. One may not call it a jobs program. I would have to look and see if it was included on the list according to CRS as a Federal employment and/or job training program. Maybe it is a lending program. I am not sure it belongs--if it is a lending program and financing program, maybe it should or should not be in this bill. I do not know that I want to multiply programs by that kind of multiplier at this point. The overall scope of this bill says we are going to be saving--if we pass this bill, we are going to be saving $70 billion. Now, we are talking about big money. I will go back to the amendment that our colleague from Illinois raised before, but I wish to be really brief because I know our colleague from Pennsylvania has an amendment. But the initial amendment is a very big amendment. And I will have to compare it--and I appreciate her statement that it was in the Daschle substitute, but as I understand it, it is a bill that would basically waive the 5-year requirement or time limit.”