Thomas Daschle: “we are all eager to hear the President's agenda for the year. Before we move on, the Senate has some unfinished business…”

“we are all eager to hear the President's agenda for the year. Before we move on, the Senate has some unfinished business from last year. This time last year Republicans promised a smooth appropriations process. In fact, it broke down to an unprecedented degree. It didn't have to be this way. Chairman Stevens and Senator Byrd steered this process in an open, bipartisan fashion. Working together, they produced 12 appropriations bills that passed with broad, bipartisan support. As the majority leader noted this morning, we owe both of them a debt of thanks. I am confident, had they been able to conclude the process they began, this debate would not have been needed. But because of the hubris of the White House and House Republican leadership, bipartisanship ended at the door to the conference negotiations. Hidden from the light of day, the White House hijacked the appropriations process, excluded Democrats, and wrote a bill to satisfy little more than special interest wish lists. Today we are already 4 months into the fiscal year. We cannot undo the entire process, nor do we seek to. Democrats are united in our support for the vast majority of what is contained in this bill. But we should fix this bill before we finish it. We want to give the majority a few days to work with the administration and the House to fix the most egregious provisions in this bill, provisions that have already been rejected by both Houses of Congress and bipartisan majorities.”