Thomas Daschle: “I wanted to talk briefly tonight about where we are. We are now 26 days into the new fiscal year. We should have…”

“I wanted to talk briefly tonight about where we are. We are now 26 days into the new fiscal year. We should have completed our work 26 days ago. We are at a stage that should command we work together to try to resolve what remaining differences there are, finish our work, and do all we can to bring this session to a close. Unfortunately, that is not what has happened tonight. What has happened tonight is that our Republican colleagues have insisted on a conference report for Commerce-State-Justice which they know will be vetoed. They have insisted on drafting a piece of legislation incorporating $240 billion in tax cuts, approximately $81 billion we are told--even though we still haven't had it analyzed and calculated-- in changes to the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. They insisted at the last minute, without any consultation, on incorporating one of the most controversial pieces of legislation pending before the Senate at the end of the year, a bill having to do with forcing States to accept a certain position on physician assisted suicide. There hasn't been any vote in the full Senate, but it is in this tax bill. It is a bill that has nothing to do with taxes, nothing to do with hospitals and ways with which to address the real problems we are facing all across this country with health providers, hospitals, clinics, hospice facilities, nursing homes.…”