Joe Cunningham: “the bill before us tonight is vastly different than just even 2 days ago. The dollar fights willed the liberal Democrats…”

“the bill before us tonight is vastly different than just even 2 days ago. The dollar fights willed the liberal Democrats to spend $150 billion more above the balanced budget and increase fees and taxes by $130 billion, is what this whole fight has been about. The hundred thousand teachers that the Democrats debated in support of last week is a totally different bill today. Why? Why are Republicans now supporting it? Because it is political thing to do? No. Because the President demanded it? No. But because it is paid for, it is paid for. It is paid for out of the other priorities that the President wanted, not out of increased taxes, not out of the surplus, but it is paid for, and that is all the Republicans ever asked for so we can come to the table and agree on that today. I would ask that the public take a look at what we have funded. Special education has gone from 6 to 12 percent just in the last 2 years. Impact aid for Native Americans and Federal employees, the President totally zeroed that out, and we put in $250 billion in impact aid. Head Start we increased, student loans we increased by 50 percent, and not a cost to the Federal Government, but because they were done with private firms. Pell grants for poor children we increased. But the President wanted to increase his priorities $1.1 billion above the balanced budget, and Republicans said no, we want you to pay for it. In the negotiations he had choices.…”