Political Quotes

“Mr. President, let me thank the Chair for her good work and putting this budget together, which I believe is the first step as we try to resolve this issue. The Senator from Washington has mentioned this has become my passion in this body. I absolutely believe getting our debt and deficit under control, getting the country's balance sheet right has almost become a proxy for whether our democratic institutions such as Congress may actually work in the 21st century. This debate we are going through is an important step in that direction. We are about to proceed to the section of debate where a host of amendments will be put up, debated, and decided. It is my hope sometime later tonight or early tomorrow morning we will be able to conclude this process and move on to the next steps. As I listen to my colleagues, particularly from the other side, I do wish to make three quick, brief points because there are actually a lot of agreements between us. I think we all realize that in addition to trying to get our tax policies and spending policies right--I agree with the Senator from Oklahoma--there are areas of duplication which could be improved upon. I would point out one amendment this Budget Committee put together in a bipartisan fashion--the majority and minority were working together-- was looking at the area of workforce training programs for further consolidation.…”