Don Nickles

I wish that was the case. But I would like to say that there has been a lot of politics. Maybe this is more a political year because of the election. We can't even get conferees for the Workforce Reinforcement Act, a bill that passed…

Not just yet. My point is--and I have not even alluded to the education issue, and I am going to hand that to Senator Gregg who knows far more about education than this Senator--no matter what level we had in this resolution, I was more…

I absolutely love a person who has intensity on issues. I love a person who likes to get things done. I love it when we actually do something that makes American families better. The tax bill we passed last year helps American families. It…

The only way to make sure there is not a tax increase on American families is to pass reconciliation. Maybe we don't need it. I hope we don't need it. Maybe we will have some good bipartisan cooperation and we can extend present law to…

I think Senator Grassley said it very well. He is chairman of the committee. He said the committee can find $3.4 billion out of $4.6 trillion. I think it could be in Medicaid or in the earned-income tax credit. I think it could be in…

If we do not extend them, it is going to be a tax increase on American families. We are trying to protect American families. We are basically saying over $13 trillion in spending and about $12 trillion in revenues. The only thing we are…

With this additional money, it is a 40.6-percent increase. For everybody who says we want to balance the budget, how do you balance the budget and simultaneously increase programs by 40 percent? This fictitious point of let's close…

I really want to tell our colleagues that generosity with time is coming to a close. We are going to start picking up the pace rather substantially. That means we are going to have a lot more votes. It means I am doing everything I can to…

this amendment increases taxes by $17.2 billion. It increases taxes next year by $13.2 billion. For the information of colleagues, we are assuming next year, on the reconciliation, which is all that is going to happen this year--or maybe…

But that is not what this amendment does. That is the purpose. The amendment says: ``On page 3, line 10, increase the amount by $13.2 billion.'' That is increasing taxes, an instruction to the Finance Committee.

I thought I heard my colleague say you were opposed to these increase in copays. I was trying to make sure you are aware we did not assume an increase. We did not have that in our budget. I wanted to make sure you knew that. If you didn't…

I am reminded of the movie ``Show Me The Money.'' I say to our friends on the Democrat side, show me this budget because this budget would do exactly the same thing. Senator Conrad's budget that was written in 2002, which passed the…

I take issue with that. Last year we passed an economic stimulus package and it happened to work. The proof is in the pudding. We have the results. The last three quarters have been phenomenal growth. The third quarter of last year grew at…

Our resolution, to answer my colleague's question, has a $1.4 billion increase in VA care. It assumes an increase in VA--and it is mandatory--from $61 billion to $70 billion--a 14.3 percent increase, so my colleague will know.

To respond to my colleague's question, maybe it is an interesting analogy between President Bush and President Hoover. President Hoover was present when the market collapsed on that fateful day in October in 1929. President Clinton was…

I appreciate that answer, but the facts are, and my colleague from North Dakota I know will affirm this if pressed, we do not write tax law in the budget resolution. We may assume something. I am assuming we are going to continue law that…

I find it so political, it is debasing to the Senate. I guess people have a right to do that, but enough is enough. Let's stay with the business at hand instead of trying to score political points. I urge our colleagues to do that. I have…

I believe I heard my good colleague and friend from Wisconsin, a member of the Budget Committee--and I have worked with him on some issues and amendments--say this is only a tax increase on millionaires, but I read the resolution. It says…

I wanted to clarify. I heard my colleague say increase in copays. You are aware, I am sure, under the resolution we are not assuming any increase in copay for categories 7 or 8, and we are also not assuming the $250 deductible.

What we are doing with the excess money is exactly what the law states. According to the statute, it says you buy T-bills with it, and that is exactly what we are doing with the surplus.

The budget is a difficult challenge. To write a budget for the United States of America, the largest government in the world, the largest economy in the world, is not easy. President Bush has written a budget. We produced a budget out of…

Not at this point. Some people say that is a big benefit for the wealthy. I say why in the world should the Government take half? I don't think they should. Maybe some people believe they should. I disagree. What we have assumed in the…

I concur with my colleague, Senator Conrad. He is exactly right. The Senate can manage debate on the Senate resolution and conduct itself much better than we have in the past. Senator Conrad has been very helpful in making that happen. I…

I have heard two or three of our speakers say this budget shortchanges veterans and education. I will throw out a few facts about what this resolution does. The total amount of money we anticipate spending in education, mandatory and…

My colleague mentioned the Workforce Investment Act that passed unanimously through the Senate and for whatever reasons our colleagues on the minority side have not agreed to the appointment of conferees. This is a bill that would help…