Political Quotes

“we are now coming to an end in our debate on this year's budget resolution. I congratulate the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Senator Nickles for producing this resolution and reporting it from his committee in an expedited manner. We are doing the Nation's business on time. I know that this resolution has put extraordinary pressure on the committee and floor staff, and I want them to all know my appreciation for their long hours of work. We are not done, but we will take a major step forward with the passage of this resolution today. I also want to thank the ranking member, Senator Conrad, who, while certainly not supporting this resolution, did cooperate in the scheduling of this resolution both in the committee and here on the floor. Having been a member of the Budget Committee my first 8 years here in the Senate, I know how difficult it is to craft a budget resolution. These are challenging times for our great country--certainly challenging on the international front and equally as challenging in setting a fiscal path for the future. Clearly how the war unfolds with Iraq can impact our economic outlook. But as we move forward on this budget resolution, we are also confronted with longer-term challenges of slow economic growth and the increasing demands of an aging population. In the near term we will provide whatever resources are necessary to our troops in Iraq to bring that conflict to a quick, expeditious, and victorious end.”