Don Nickles: “I am disappointed today that the majority leader has decided to pull down the stimulus package. We are going to have a…”

“I am disappointed today that the majority leader has decided to pull down the stimulus package. We are going to have a cloture vote on the majority leader's package. He calls it a stimulus package, but there is no stimulus in it. There is a lot of spending. He says if he does not get 60 votes, basically preventing any other amendments, he is going to pull down the stimulus bill. In other words, he wants a spending package, not a stimulus bill, and if we are going to put stimulus amendments in it, no bill. I am looking at an amendment Senator Kyl has pending to make the death tax repeal permanent. That would make a real positive change to a lot of businesses, a lot of agriculture. That is a positive amendment. It is added as an amendment to one Senator Baucus had dealing with agricultural spending. I looked at almost all the Democratic amendments, and they are almost all spending: More money for agriculture, more money for Medicaid, more money to increase the Federal payments share, more money for temporary employees to the Federal program--we have never done that in the past-- new entitlement programs; no stimulus. I am looking at the amendment Senator Bond offered on expensing. That passed overwhelmingly. That would help stimulate the economy. The accelerated depreciation that Senator Gordon Smith offered would help encourage people to make investments.”