Kay Bailey Hutchison: “Mr. President, the Paul amendment does reduce the aggregate authorized spending level to the amount appropriated in…”

“Mr. President, the Paul amendment does reduce the aggregate authorized spending level to the amount appropriated in fiscal year 2008. So basically it is going back to the 2008 levels. I am going to support the amendment because I think we have to make a start at cutting back on spending in every area of government that is discretionary and where we can make responsible cuts. However, I do want to say that the better approach, in my opinion, would be to have an overall cap on spending at the 2008 levels and then pick the priorities we must fund and take away the lesser priorities for government funding. I believe we need a more measured approach on infrastructure spending. In the case of the FAA, I would point out that the agency is funded through a mix of aviation trust fund dollars and general fund dollars. Specifically, three of the four main accounts in the FAA budget-- airport improvement, facilities and equipment, and research--are paid for entirely by the aviation trust fund.”