Charles W. Stenholm: “I will serve notice to our colleagues that we are going to be doing a lot of talking about this over the next 1, 2, 3…”

“I will serve notice to our colleagues that we are going to be doing a lot of talking about this over the next 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 days. Tomorrow we will pass a rule that will provide for six 24-hour continuing resolutions. Just as the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor) has talked very accurately about the last 12 months, what is seemingly passing over this body and the leadership of this House is what we are doing in the next 12 months. The 106th Congress is on track to increase appropriations, spending, for domestic programs at the fastest rate this year since the budget act was first passed in 1974. Now, all year long my friend from Mississippi and I and other Blue Dogs have been on this floor calling for a compromise in the budget that can be supported by both sides of the aisle. The Republican budget called for $600 billion in budget authority and $625 billion in outlays. The President proposed $624 billion in budget authority and $637 billion in outlays and colleague after colleague from the other side of the aisle has bent over speaking and decrying the big spending of this administration.”