'They Spend That Money On Male Prostitutes In Haiti!': Kennedy Gives Feisty Defense Of Rescissions

At today's Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) defended the rescissions package.

Transcript

00:00That we're 15 minutes into the vote, so I would hope we could wrap up this debate, which is very important. Senator Kennedy.

00:11Let me answer Senator Murray's question because it was a good one.

00:17Let me answer Senator Murray's question because it was a good one.

00:23Her question, as I appreciate it, is how do we deal with rescission?

00:27A president, any president, has the right to send us a rescission package.

00:35You and I have the right to vote no.

00:40But when we appropriate money, and this to me is what it's about, it's not about how many lawyers can dance on the head of a pen.

00:50And it's not about a Law Review article.

00:53Article 1 versus Article 2.

00:55The American people care about, because the American people don't care.

01:00They pay us to care.

01:02The American people care about the cost of living and how their money is spent.

01:06And when we appropriate money to a president, any president,

01:09and they spend that money on male prostitutes in Haiti,

01:15on condoms in Zambia,

01:20on electric buses in Uganda,

01:23I want to know about it.

01:27I never heard it from this committee, for damn sure.

01:30I heard about it

01:32from the White House.

01:34And I'm damn glad they told me.

01:37And I'm going to vote to get rid of that stuff every single time.

01:43And if you don't want to agree with me,

01:45I'm saying you do or don't, Patty.

01:47But you have a vote.

01:49But the president has the right to send us a rescission package

01:52and say this is spending porn.

01:57My work here is done.