Thomas Daschle: “I think there is ample opportunity for us to agree on substance. The distinguished Senator from Pennsylvania and I have…”

“I think there is ample opportunity for us to agree on substance. The distinguished Senator from Pennsylvania and I have talked on a few occasions in recent weeks about this matter and it comes down to two questions: the social services block grant and the importance we place on fully funding it, and the need for offsets to the tax provisions in this legislation. We agree there should be tax provisions. We agree there should be an SSBG provision. What we have not agreed to is how we resolve ways in which to fully fund them and to offset the costs involved with the tax provisions of the bill. That is a substantive question. Then there is a procedural question. The Senator from Pennsylvania continues to insist the only way to resolve the procedural issue is by forcing this bill to conference. As I have said to him on several occasions, we are very reluctant without the concurrence of the House leadership that there will be the kind of bipartisan participation we need to resolve these issues in a fair way.”