David Obey: “I am not voting for this turkey. They may be planning to. I would also say that what I really think this amendment is…”

“I am not voting for this turkey. They may be planning to. I would also say that what I really think this amendment is about is this. There is an amendment coming later today which will take $4 billion in regular appropriations for the Department of Defense for routine items that normally would be handled next year. Instead, that money is going to be moved into this existing fiscal year. That is $4 billion more that will be spent this year that the President is not asking for. The effect of that is to give us a $4 billion hole in next year's budget which can then be filled up with congressional pork projects in the Defense Department. That is the intent. The result: $4 billion in added spending. So now this amendment conveniently comes along and gives people a political fig leaf. The rhetoric over there is made quite clear. This amendment is not real. It is symbolic. It is not substantive. All this amendment does is take $4 billion, which is in the Treasury, and appropriate it back to the Treasury.”