On the recordMarch 24, 2015
As I close, let me thank the gentleman for his courtesy. Mr. Van Hollen is right. I have served on the Judiciary Committee. It is there that we deal with the problems, particularly on the Crime Subcommittee, at the end of someone's detour in life. Do you know what, Mr. Chairman? Those detours in life that wind up with 75,000 persons in the Federal prison system on mandatory minimums has been because people cannot read, do not have opportunities, and do not have jobs. I want to invest in a budget that lifts the boats of all people; if you work hard, you get a home; if you work hard, you can send your kids to school; if you work hard, you can retire. That is the budget I want to support, not this no-success budget that is being proposed by our Republican friends. I ask my colleagues to support the alternative budget along with the CPC and the CBC budget. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to H. Con. Res. 27, the House Republicans' ``Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2016'' because it continues the reckless and irresponsible approach to fiscal policy that the House majority has championed for years, with disastrous results. Mr. Chair, the budgeteers on the majority side have a very poor track record when it comes to economic forecasts and projections. For years, they have based their entire legislative agenda and strategy on their belief that the Affordable Care Act or ``Obamacare'' would be a failure. The wish was father to the thought. But they were wrong.…
