William Orton: “Mr. Chairman, last night after general debate on the budget, I was talking with one of my constituents who after…”

“Mr. Chairman, last night after general debate on the budget, I was talking with one of my constituents who after watching several hours of debate was totally confused over what the argument was all about. While the budget and alternatives may be clear to those of us here in this Chamber, the people have a hard time following us. Therefore, as simply as I can, I will now outline the principal differences between the various budgets we are considering. All of the budgets offered would achieved balance in 2002. The differences are in the details of how much is cut each year, how much is spent or cut from each program, and how the programs are changed to achieve these savings. Last year, at the beginning of the budget debate, the President's budget and the Republican's budget were $600 billion different between now and 2002. The coalition budget was a centrist budget, with numbers between the President's and Republican's, designed to bridge the gap between the two and facilitate an agreement which the President could sign into law. Since that time, in an effort to resolve their differences, both the President and the Republicans have changed their proposals significantly toward one another. In fact, their numbers on spending have collapsed to virtually mirror the coalition budget.”