David Obey: “let me simply say again, as I have several times today, I am sympathetic to the goal of the gentlewoman's amendment, and…”

“let me simply say again, as I have several times today, I am sympathetic to the goal of the gentlewoman's amendment, and I appreciate the fact that she did not craft her amendment in a way which would go after general departmental administrative costs. I appreciate that concession on the part of the gentlewoman. Having said that, again, I will not personally object to the amendment because I understand what she is trying to do. But I definitely want to make clear what the gentleman from New York said, that there's only so far that you can cut any of these programs. I happen to have insisted on a very deep cut in Reading First because of the abuse that occurred of the taxpayer funds in that account. But having said that, it's our hope that, frankly, and the House needs to know this, it's our hope that by the time we get to conference, we will have worked out enough of an understanding with the administration about the corrections that are needed so that we don't have to take the deep cuts that are in the bill now.”