On the recordApril 29, 2016
As I listened to my good friend--and I think it is important that we note that our colleagues are good friends and Americans who care. That is why I have come to the floor to challenge the hearts and minds of my colleagues, for my discussion today, as the gentleman that preceded me, will be in the Congressional Record for my colleagues to peruse and for the American people to peruse. I do take note of the fact, as the gentleman recounted the history of budgets--and I might say that I, too, spent time working on the 1997 budget. I have been privileged to serve from that time when a bipartisan effort--with everyone, in essence, putting down their obstructionist perspectives--generated one of the best health insurance programs for our children, called CHIP, that the Nation has seen, that millions of American children are now insured. But it is important to note that the present Republican majority failed to put a budget on the floor for us to vote up or down, primarily because there were Members in their own conference that would not vote because the cuts were not sufficient, even though trillions of dollars were cut from education and many other services that the American people need. Now, I know that the American people are very independent. There are States that have worked very hard to ensure that their particular citizens in their State are well taken care of, but the one thing I know about the Federal Government, it is the umbrella on a rainy day.…
