Political Quotes

“The amendment is a simple amendment, folks. It is about transparency. Two years ago, the Senate passed a budget that added a laudatory requirement to have a Congressional Budget Office score for reconciliation legislation 28 hours in advance of voting on the legislation. There are obvious benefits to the Members who are voting and obvious benefits to the American public. The budget resolution before us from committee repeals that requirement. The majority has argued that it is unnecessary because the requirement has never been triggered. But I remember that just a couple of months ago, the Senate was debating healthcare legislation that hadn't seen the light of day and didn't have a CBO score. Do we really believe the answer to our problem is to make it easier to pass legislation without knowing the cost? I think the 28-hour requirement is worthy, it should be continued, and I think it should be extended to include amendments in the nature of a substitute. I ask all my colleagues to support transparency and not embarrass the institution by enabling us to more easily pass important legislation without the public knowing the score. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired. The Senator from Wyoming.”