Patrick Leahy: “reserving the right to object, and I will, but let me explain why. The bill offered by my colleague on the other side of…”

“reserving the right to object, and I will, but let me explain why. The bill offered by my colleague on the other side of the aisle is shortsighted and premature. We have been working on this omnibus for months. I would have been happy to, among the 50 or 60 Senators of both parties, if they had sat down and talked to me about what might be in it. I would have been happy to have heard from him, too, but I know he had other pressing duties and didn't have time to. But I am afraid it would unnecessarily punt our basic responsibilities even further down the road. Vice Chairman Shelby, Chair DeLauro, and I continue to trade offers and negotiate an omnibus spending bill with the Democrats and Republicans who have worked with us, and we believe we are close to a bipartisan, bicameral agreement. Reaching this agreement now is important for Americans in every State across the country. I know in my State of Vermont, in my hometown--my farmhouse in Middlesex, VT--it was 20 degrees. Next week, it is going to get colder. With the cost of natural gas and heating oil up more than 25 percent, families across my State are sitting down at their kitchen tables trying to figure out how they are going to afford to heat their homes and feed their families. Groceries are up more than 10 percent. They are making these decisions right now because they do not have the luxury of simply kicking the can down the road. They need assistance now, not months from now, if at all.…”