Orrin Hatch: “I happen to believe sense-of-the-Senate resolutions mean a lot. But I certainly could not accept this language as part…”

“I happen to believe sense-of-the-Senate resolutions mean a lot. But I certainly could not accept this language as part of a balanced budget constitutional amendment. If for no other reason, what does the term ``disproportionate'' mean? Which programs have to be preferred above others? There are a thousand programs we are talking about here. I know, because I worked with most all of them when I was ranking member and chairman of the Labor and Human Resources Committee, on which the Senator from Minnesota now sits. I will get you the votes. I will work my side to try to get 100 of these people to vote for it. I happen to believe when Senators in this body vote for a sense-of-the-Senate resolution, it means something, especially if you get 100 percent. I cannot guarantee it, but I would work to get 100 percent. It would be adopted, because I think virtually everybody here would like to have children's programs treated fairly. The distinguished Senator makes a tremendous point. We treat seniors very well. They get about 20 times the help from the Federal Government that individual children get, and we are not doing what we should do for children in our country. There are a lot of children in poverty who are in serious straits who do not have the health care that they need. On the other hand, the question is, how do we best solve that problem?”