Political Quotes

On the recordMay 8, 2003
You cannot get to balance through spending cuts. As I indicated, the entire defense budget is about $400 billion. We are 500 billion and counting, slightly offset because we are spending $150 billion on Medicare and Social Security surplus that is coming in. But this is out of budget. The on-budget part of the budget, what is coming in and going out outside of Social Security and Medicare is $500 billion. The entire defense budget. Everything we spend outside of Social Security, Medicare, and defense and pensions, everything is about $800 billion. Everything. Foreign aid, FBI, prisons, NASA, everything, education, roads, everything. It is about 800. If you cut the government in half, you could not balance it as bad as it has gotten.
Said by
Bobby Scott
Democratic · Virginia

Editor's note · Context

Discussing the challenges of achieving a balanced budget during a floor speech.

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