Jeb Hensarling: “Mr. Chairman, I'd like to associate myself with the comments of the gentlewoman from Tennessee. I, too, appreciate the…”

“Mr. Chairman, I'd like to associate myself with the comments of the gentlewoman from Tennessee. I, too, appreciate the leadership of the gentleman from Iowa in offering this amendment. Again, the dollars may be small but the principle is large, and frankly, Mr. Chairman, I really somewhat object to those who somehow suggest that after a budget was passed in this institution, representing the largest single tax increase in American history, that somehow amendments to try to save the people's money are somehow dilatory, are somehow frivolous, are somehow not worthy of debate in this democratic institution. We spent months, months debating one spending bill on whether or not to support our troops in Iraq, months, and now we hear protests from the other side, hours into a regular appropriations bill. Somehow after hours we've grown tired of that particular process. Mr. Chairman, I'm worried about this largest single tax increase in American history and what it means to people in my district, the Fifth District of Texas, how it impacts their ability to send their children to college, how it impacts their ability to start a small business, how it impacts their ability to pay their health care premiums. Every opportunity we have to try to get some of that money back to them is an important use of this body's time, a very important use.”