Political Quotes

“I am astounded at the gentleman from Massachusetts. He deplores the fact that if we, in this continuing resolution, make sure that last year's programs would be funded at 100 percent, that the veterans, Head Start, and other programs will suffer. I ask him whether he, the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Moakley], would agree that a shutdown causes a 100-percent cut in all of those programs. That is, if the Government shuts down, women, infants, and children get nothing in their programs. The veterans get nothing in their programs. The students get nothing out of the Pell grants. That is a 100-percent cut in their programs because of the possibility and actuality of a shutdown. My legislation is a good Government effort to prevent shutdowns forever. We cannot tolerate a shutdown of 5 minutes, let alone 1 day or 20 days. When the Desert Storm fracas began with Desert Shield, right in the midst of Desert Shield while our young people were over there with musket in hand ready to do battle, our Government shut down at the hands of a Democrat Congress and a Republican President who could not agree.”