Political Quotes

“The question really should be: Is this a Federal requirement? Is this a Federal responsibility? I agree with the gentlewoman on a whole host of things she said about the economic impact of the arts and the humanities. The question is: Should the Federal Government be doing it? If there is a return on investment, and I agree there is, apparently, it is worthy because in 2022 private industry and private contributions were $24 billion. That is awesome. We ought to encourage that. Now, maybe $186 million is a drop in the bucket in this bill, and I suspect it is. Where I come from, $186 million is a heck of a lot of money. It is a heck of a lot of money. Mr. Chairman, if you watch the one millions, the two millions, the five millions, the 100 millions, the 186 millions, then maybe sometimes you can get to the fact that this year we are spending $2.2 trillion more than we are taking in at the Federal level--$2.2 trillion. Mr. Chairman, you have to start somewhere, and you start with the ones, the tens, the twenties, the hundreds, and the hundred millions. That is where you start. This is not a Federal responsibility. It should be done by local and State if they want to do it. The Federal Government cannot sustain it and should not sustain it. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.”