David Obey: “I find it ironic that the only dollar item in this bill over which there is a dispute is the provision which prevents…”

“I find it ironic that the only dollar item in this bill over which there is a dispute is the provision which prevents funding for the Government to proceed with a suit against the tobacco companies for past losses to the Federal Treasury due to the use of tobacco. I find that ironic because that small amount of money that the President had asked for could have the potential of bringing billions of dollars into the Treasury to help us pay for the cost of veterans' medical care and to help us pay for the cost of Medicare in general. It just seems to me that is an incredibly short-sighted decision to make. All I would say, in summary, is that the main reason to oppose this bill is that it should not have been brought to the floor in the first place in the shape it is in today. This is a dead-end bill. It is going nowhere. If the Senate passes it, which I doubt, the President most certainly will veto it.”