Political Quotes

“Madam President, I appreciate the extremely hard work the majority leader--and I have told him this--and the President--I have told him that--and our distinguished chairman--I have told him that-- the work they have done to get the best possible deal under extremely difficult circumstances. I now understand that with the final resolution, I will not be able to vote for it, as I assume others in the Vermont delegation will not. I am afraid that it creates an impossible bargain. It averts a government shutdown at the expense of our overall national interests. This year, Congress spent most of its time negotiating three rounds of deeper and deeper cuts in the current year's budget, an exercise in oftentimes misguided wheel-spinning which ignores the fact that discretionary spending is but a relative fraction of the overall budget while addressing some of the most pressing and urgent needs of ordinary Americans. Advocates paint this agreement in moral terms. I agree with them. Budgets are about our real priorities. There is so much in this budget package that is inconsistent with basic Vermont and American values. Drastic cuts ending hunger programs for low-income women and children, elimination of Vermont's weatherization program, and cuts to economic development programs that grow jobs in my State of Vermont are not my idea of prudent sacrifices.…”