Darlene Hooley: “I have worked well with the Republicans since coming to Congress. I think it is important to try to work together. But…”

“I have worked well with the Republicans since coming to Congress. I think it is important to try to work together. But what this Republican budget does is cross that line of reason. This is a bait and switch budget. Republicans are saying with one hand, look at all the good things we are doing over here and then with the other hand they are cutting programs and not telling you what they are doing. Let me give my colleagues an example. Education. They say, ``Well, we're increasing education,'' and they are in spots. But on the other hand they are cutting in the year 2000 $1.2 billion of the education budget. Democrats are extending the life of Social Security to the year 2050. The Republicans make doing nothing about extending the life of Social Security just sound good. The same is true for the Medicare budget. The life of the program is not extended one day under this bait and switch budget. All of this so they can talk about a tax cut. Now, I support tax cuts, but I think a $779 billion tax cut is too much while we have ignored the fact that we are not adding one day to Social Security or Medicare solvency. Oppose the rule on this bait and switch budget.”