David Obey: “I do not appreciate having to take lectures from the Committee on the Budget. Let me tell my colleague the sleight of…”

“I do not appreciate having to take lectures from the Committee on the Budget. Let me tell my colleague the sleight of hand that that committee played. They pretended that they provided additional money for veterans. They pretended that they provided additional money for education and for special education in order to get the votes of the moderate Republicans in here for the resolution. And then, after they pretended, on an account-by-account basis, that they had provided the money, then that same Committee on the Budget provided $7.2 billion in undistributed reductions and assigned those reductions to our committee, without having the guts to spell out what those reductions should be. And then they squawked when the gentleman from Florida tried to distribute those reductions. That is what is going on here. The difference is that the gentleman from Florida has to run a real railroad train, it is not an Alice in Wonderland train. Now, with respect to the amendment at hand, I simply want Members to know how they are going to vote. I mean, the Republicans are running this show, so it is immaterial to me which of your factions wins the argument on that side. But if this amendment passes, you will be cutting $15 million from the FBI. You will forcing Israel to write a $12 million check back to us because they have already gotten their money.”