Political Quotes

“on two previous occasions, in 1982 and in 1986, I opposed an amendment similar or identical to the balanced budget proposal to the constitution which is before this body at this time. I am inclined to believe that calling it a balanced budget amendment is something of an exaggeration. It is an amendment to the Constitution which will make it clearly more difficult to pass one unbalanced budget after another, year after year after year. The reason for my two negative votes on the predecessors to this proposal is similar to those which opponents have outlined with both force and eloquence yesterday and today in this body. The opponents make two points. First, that Congress and the President ought to accept the responsibility of directing this country toward a balanced budget. And second, that a statute rather than a constitutional amendment would provide a more flexible and even possibly more effective method of bringing the budget into balance. In that connection, I was an enthusiastic supporter, and I believe a cosponsor, of Gramm-Rudman, a statutory proposal designed to bring the budget into balance, which I may reflect actually caused a reduction in the budget for each of the years in which it was in full force and effect. But I observed, as did others, in the year 1990, that when the Gramm-Rudman shoe began to pinch, it was for all practical purposes repealed by this body with the assent of the President.”