Stephanie Herseth Sandlin: “to quote a popular Republican President, ``There you go again.'' With no apparent sense of irony, the Republican…”

“to quote a popular Republican President, ``There you go again.'' With no apparent sense of irony, the Republican leadership scrambled to complete an irresponsible, unaffordable tax package during the same week that the other body will consider a $984 billion increase in the public debt, the largest in American history. The House leadership pushed a massive increase of $450 billion in the debt limit not even 1 year ago; and here they go again, with a debt limit increase that is more than double the size of last year's record increase. We have about $7 trillion in debt. We pay over $1 billion a day in interest in this country, and it is outrageous. The Democratic motion to instruct conferees attempts to restore at least some sanity to Congress' fiscal mismanagement of the country by insisting that the tax reconciliation conference report should increase neither the debt nor the deficit in this country. Further, Mr. Speaker, the Democratic motion to instruct recognizes the necessity of relief to our States.”