Political Quotes

“this amendment should be taken very seriously by all Senators. Its authors claim that its adoption will produce in excess of $94 billion in budget savings over the next 5 years. I hope to convince my colleagues that, despite the zeal and unquestionable sincerity of the proponents of this amendment, the overwhelming percentage of these claimed savings are nonexistent. They are nonexistent for a number of reasons. Some of the items for which savings are claimed were never appropriated in the first place. Other items for which savings are claimed in the pending amendment have already been rescinded. Still other items for which savings are claimed have already been voted on in the Senate and the savings set aside to pay for vital programs such as the crime bill. Mr. President, I now will turn to the specifics of the pending amendment. I have here a four-page table, which I received from Senator Kerrey's office. And I thank him for his courtesy in supplying the table. It contains a list of the 57 items proposed in the amendment to reduce Federal spending. However, there is a footnote on page 1 of the table which reads as follows: Projected savings are preliminary pending receipt of final Congressional Budget Office estimates. Some of the proposals contained in the Senate package may overlap with legislation proposed by the President or approved by the Senate that have not yet been enacted into law.”