David Obey: “Mr. Chairman, I want to do two things: First of all, as every Member knows, as hard as Members work, our staffs work…”

“Mr. Chairman, I want to do two things: First of all, as every Member knows, as hard as Members work, our staffs work twice as hard. I would simply like to take a moment to thank Christina Hamilton, Norris Cochran, Mari Johnson, Scott Lilly, Cheryl Smith, Mark Mioduski and Kori Hardin for the work they have done for me and for the Democratic minority. I would like to thank Doyle Lewis, Marc Granowitter, Scott Boule, Clare Coleman, Kristin Holman and Charles Dujon for the work that they have done on behalf of the minority members of the subcommittee. I would like to thank Tony McCann, Carol Murphy, Susan Firth, Francine Salvador, Jeff Kenyon, Tom Kelly, Spencer Pearlman, and Katharine Fisher for the work they have done on behalf of the majority. They have done very good work in preparing us and in preparing our arguments, even when they know that both of us are wrong. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the fact that many of them have gone without sleep for a long time, and I think they need our thanks. Also the folks in the front office of the committee, who also get beat up, but work very hard as well. I also would simply like to note that with the defeat of the Young amendment on the last vote, this bill is now $500 million in budget authority and $217 million in outlays above its allowable spending levels in the budget resolution.”