David Obey: “Mr. Chairman, in politics and in governance, there is a time to define differences and there is a time to reconcile…”

“Mr. Chairman, in politics and in governance, there is a time to define differences and there is a time to reconcile those differences. Over the last 2 years, on this bill perhaps more than any other, we have certainly defined our differences. They have been defined to a fare-thee-well, and these bills have been centrally involved in two government shutdowns, protracted debate between the two parties, between the White House and the Congress, and between the two Houses of the Congress. This year this bill is in quite different shape. It is here because Members in both parties have tried to listen to each other and tried to swallow some things that we differ on in the interest of reaching an ability to reconcile some of the deep differences that we have. I hope that we can stand here unified on both sides of the aisle and support the package as it is presented from the committee. It is far from perfect and it certainly is very different in some ways from what I would like to see. But in contrast to past years, this is, I think, a reasonable effort at compromise, and I look forward to supporting it, if this bill stays together. This bill provides a total of $80 billion for the Labor-HHS-Education agencies.”