Thomas Daschle: “this debate has now continued for more than a month. There have been many conflicting statements and some…”

“this debate has now continued for more than a month. There have been many conflicting statements and some misunderstandings, but no one should misinterpret this vote. It is not a vote on balancing the budget or reducing the deficit. Democrats have been committed to that for a long time, and our record is very, very clear. We demonstrated that in 1990 on a very tough vote. And, without any help from Republicans, we again demonstrated that in 1993; $600 billion of deficit reduction later, we find ourselves here this afternoon. We are prepared to continue that commitment for as long as it takes to put this debt behind us for good. So no one should be misled by the political rhetoric about our position. We will do what we have already done. We will work to bring down the debt with or without a constitutional amendment. This debate really should not even have to be about the need for a constitutional amendment. By my count, there are over 70 Senators who favor one. More than two-thirds of this body favor writing a balanced budget requirement into the U.S. Constitution, and I am one of them. What this debate is all about is what that amendment should say. And what our Republican colleagues have said is that it has to be this version, this amendment, or no amendment at all. That is what this debate has been about. Can we improve upon this amendment? Can we make sure that it is our best effort?”