This budget reconciliation is a farce. What they want to do is cut our programs so they can put together the money for the tax cut they want to do next.

That's the only way I see it passing. Because of budget restraints and programs being cut, I do not see it gaining momentum as a national playing rule and a required rule.

I don't know what Katrina is going to do to budget reconciliation overall, ... There's simply no way that we can carry out the agenda that we had in place at the end of July, that we thought we would be dealing with today, just because of Katrina.

It is a belt-tightening budget. We cut where we could cut.

It's life or death for a lot of people in this country. It's a global issue.

My own mother always taught me that fairness was a family value - I think equal pay is about fairness for everyone.