We had the balanced-budget amendment fight. It did not work out. Republicans in the Senate did not get a two thirds majority required. Now for many Americans at that point they said now there goes the ball game again. Democrats had taunted Republicans about the thought that if you are really serious about the budget business, you sort of go about it the old fashioned way. You pass budgets that move towards balance. Actual programs, appropriations, dollar amounts. That we are doing. Both houses have passed seven year plans that go from $200 billion in deficits to zero. About a trillion dollars in spending changes in the course of seven years of time. It is breathtaking what must be done, and I would hasten to add that it has not quite been accomplished. We have had budgets and broad outlines, but now we come to the heavy lifting, the appropriations bill with specific programs.
As Chairman of the Agriculture Committee, I and my colleagues will have to find thirty-five to fifty billion dollars in all of agriculture and nutrition programs in order to fulfill what we have to do to be a part of that balanced act, and that would be true of each of the committees. And that would be for us specific things like food stamps and agricultural subsidies and the Conservation Reserve Program, the Export Enhancement Program, specific things. And when we come to that many constituents will be unhappy throughout society, but that is the heavy lifting that lies ahead. It is a collision or cooperation depending upon the president of the United States. He has moved in his own way in the last couple of weeks to say essentially Democrats ought to be thinking about balanced budgets too. He has essentially conceded that argument. He has conceded the thought that Medicare in fact does come to an end in seven years without reform, and the Democrats had better be responsible for that too. But in any event, that one is on track. I am in favor of getting to zero in seven years. I will vote for the appropriations, I have for the budget balancing act, and I will do my role as chairman of agriculture to make certain that we conform ourselves well in reconciliation.