Thomas Daschle: “Let us be clear. Win or lose on these cloture votes, we are no closer to an agreement if that is what happens today.…”

“Let us be clear. Win or lose on these cloture votes, we are no closer to an agreement if that is what happens today. Sooner or later, we are going to have to compromise. The House Republicans just do not seem to get it. So far, the 104th Congress could be summed up simply in two words: lost opportunity. On welfare, on reg reform, on the budget, and on appropriations, many in the House seem to think compromise is a four-letter word. Let us not allow the farms to fall victim to this, too. We can work this out. We can find compromise. We can find a way to ensure that farmers are going to have the certainty that they are asking for this afternoon, and we can begin all of that by defeating both cloture motions in the next hour. I yield the floor.”