David Obey: “I really find it incredible that the conferees are going to be bringing back a bill tomorrow which ignores virtually…”

“I really find it incredible that the conferees are going to be bringing back a bill tomorrow which ignores virtually everything that has been promised to the country on this bill over the last month. We had a motion last night, which this House adopted unanimously, asking the conferees not to cut veterans' health care in order to pay for highway projects. Yet the conferees will be reporting back a bill which ignores that instruction. I wonder how many Members of this House are going to go home and rub shoulders with their veterans and pose for political holy pictures with their veterans organizations, one day after they have voted 'yes' to pork and 'no' to veterans? And yet that is what is going to happen, I would predict. I hope that the American people are watching, and I hope that they will understand what is being done. To me, it would be an act of consummate arrogance for the conferees to do that, but I expect that is exactly what they will do tomorrow.”