Lindsey Graham: “what we are now doing in the fall of 2000 is characterized by some representative examples of our excess. The…”

“what we are now doing in the fall of 2000 is characterized by some representative examples of our excess. The Transportation appropriations conference report was not available for Members to review the night before the final vote, but at least there had been some debate on the Senate floor on the Transportation appropriations bill when it originally passed the Senate. In the remaining days, we are going to be asked to approve measures for which there has never been Senate debate. As an example, we are going to be asked to make some significant paybacks to the providers of services through the Medicare program. This add-back legislation was never considered in the Senate Finance Committee, nor has it been considered on the Senate floor, but mark my word, we will soon be asked to vote on this substantial legislation. The Commerce-State-Justice appropriations bill will also likely come to this body attached to an unrelated conference report without ever having been separately considered by the Senate. I suggest we all need to grab hold of our aspirin bottles because we are likely to need plenty of those pills when we find out what is in these measures, a disclosure that is likely to occur several weeks after we have adjourned.”