Bernie Sanders: “Mr. Chairman, this is in fact a very strange debate, and I can fully understand why 62 percent of the American people…”

“Mr. Chairman, this is in fact a very strange debate, and I can fully understand why 62 percent of the American people did not bother to vote in November and why millions and millions of Americans have so little respect for this situation. Mr. Chairman, as we discuss today spending ten's and ten's of billion dollars more on star wars and other military gadgetry, there are congressional leaders in this building today who are talking about major cutbacks in nutritional programs for hungry children, who are talking about cutbacks in Medicare for the elderly, in Medicaid for the sick, who are talking about cutbacks in veterans programs. I sincerely hope that my friends who are proposing billions more for star wars tell the veterans of this country why they want to cut back on their programs so that the quality of service in the VA hospitals will deteriorate. Have the courage, get up here and tell the parents of kids who are attending the Head Start Program that we do not have enough money for them but we have more money for military spending. Mr. Chairman, I have a startling revelation to make which will clearly change the nature of this debate. I am hereby announcing to my friends who have not yet heard about it, the cold war is over. I know you did not know that. The Soviet Union does not exist. China is now our trading ally.”