Political Quotes

“the Blue Dog budget did not increase taxes. What the Blue Dog budget did was it put some of the tax cuts that were supposed to go into effect into the future off the table. I have heard the Republicans over and over again say we need to go to a zero-based budget, and if you have a spending increase that is not as much as you want, that that is some kind of cut, that that is what the Democrats say. Well, you cannot say that a tax cut that is not yet in effect, if it does not go in effect, is a tax increase. You cannot have it both ways on that one. But let me just point out, I agree with the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith). Let me say what I think anybody, any reasonable, sane person listening to this would have to conclude, and that is this country is on an unsustainable financial glidepath. The Republican budget that you are so proud of borrows in the next 10 years, in your budget cycle that you passed without our votes, that is true, because it borrowed another $6 trillion; the interest difference that we will pay as Americans, the mandatory spending that we have, because your budget passed and not the Blue Dog budget, amounts to $421 billion over the next year. I will give my colleagues 2 examples that just happened in the last 2 weeks. You added $80 billion in borrowed money on the child care matter. Mr. Speaker, $80 billion at 4 percent interest is $3.2 billion a year in interest.”