Jay Rockefeller: “before casting my vote for this tax portion of the budget plan, I want to comment on the aspects that are of most…”

“before casting my vote for this tax portion of the budget plan, I want to comment on the aspects that are of most concern to me. The basic point I want to emphasize is that my vote for both the spending bill and this tax bill that make up the balanced budget and tax plan is the result of weighing its merits against its flaws. The fundamental job for Congress this year has been to agree on a plan to balance the budget, which is the main objective of the bills we are approving this week. Unlike the Republican budgets that I opposed over the last 2 years, this plan is the result of bipartisan negotiations and contains real benefits and important compromises in the interest of West Virginians and all Americans. At the same time, it has been clear that the only way we could finish the job some of us started in 1993, to balance the budget and start dealing with future priorities, was to find middle ground. I recognize that I cannot write or cause the passage of the budget plan that reflects exactly how I would chart Medicare's course, design the childrens' health insurance program, target tax relief, or address other priorities for West Virginians. Instead, I have worked hard in the recent months to influence these parts of the budget and make the best possible case for the approach I think is fair and balanced.”