Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008
Floor Speech
DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 -- (House of Representatives - July 19, 2007)
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Mr. WALSH of New York. Madam Chairman, a lot is being said, a lot of numbers are being thrown around, a lot of claims are being made, even claims that facts are facts. And I just wanted to clarify a point that my good friend from New York made, and that is that this bill saves $1.5 billion over last year. I don't understand that statement because last year we spent $144.7 billion in budget authority, enacted, and this year it is $151 billion, so almost $8 billion more than last year.
So the facts, I think, need to be checked. Let's try to be accurate. Everybody wants to thump their chest and say what a great party they have. But the facts are we are spending $8 billion this year more than last if this bill passes.
Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. WALSH of New York. Madam Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
For my part, it was a great experience going through this 5 months with you. It was a lot of work. I think I speak for the staff as well when I say we are all pretty tired from all the work that we have done. And, of course, they had to put together a continuing resolution and a supplemental to boot. So I know I join the chairman in thanking the staff for the remarkable work that they have done, both sides of the aisle. These are professional people who obviously care about the issues, but they are not as concerned about the partisan aspects of this as we are.
When the chairman talked about our experience here together, we combined about 57 years of experience here in the Congress. Most of that side falls on his watch and not mine, but I am getting up there too. And it is great to be able to work with someone who has the command of these issues that he does. And I remember asking him, and I have said this a couple of times, Why on God's green Earth would you want to be chairman of the full committee and the subcommittee also? And he said, Because the subcommittee issues are the issues I came here for 38 years ago. And he is making a mark on them today.
There has been some partisan back-and-forth here, which is as it should be. The Founding Fathers wanted us to have a clash of ideas.
The CHAIRMAN. The time of the gentleman from Wisconsin has expired.
Mr. WALSH of New York. Madam Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. WALSH of New York. They wanted us to have the contest of ideas here. The fight should be over words and ideas and not with swords and other weaponry.
But mostly what we have done is we have found what we disagree on and talked about it. But overall, overwhelmingly, both sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats, agree that the issues in this bill are priorities for the Nation. Maybe we think we should spend 5 percent less or they think they should spend 5 percent more, and I don't want to discount the differences. There are big differences between the two parties. And I am very proud that our party on our watch did balance the Federal budget, did produce surpluses before a crisis of international proportions affected us in 2001.
But suffice to say, I have great respect for the gentleman from Wisconsin. Over the years he has made me as mad as anyone else because sometimes his arguments are just too good to argue with.
So let me just end by thanking him for honoring our requests. I think we worked out a pretty good bill here, and I would urge my colleagues to support it.
Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
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