Political Quotes

“I listen to the gentleman from Minnesota and the gentleman from California, and it amazes me how anyone on that side can oppose this great project the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Portman] has brought to the floor, the underground railroad, part of our history. How can they protest against this? I cannot believe it when this is totally discretionary, totally discretionary. It is one of the few bills I have ever seen that really is so totally discretionary. It is up to the Secretary absolutely and not even the Congress. We just give him the authority to really do this job if he wishes to do so. Now I am a little bit concerned because as my colleagues know, I heard some comments on this floor as if this is the first time this has ever happened? Please. The gentleman from Minnesota, when he was a chairman of the subcommittee, I saw this happen time after time, and all the great merits, open ended. I see bills open ended. I do not know how many hundreds of bills, under his leadership, passed were open ended. One of the reasons, I would suggest respectfully, a lot of the areas were made into parks were open ended, and the cost to the taxpayer was tremendous. But this bill, and very frankly the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Portman] has done a tremendous job, actually gives so much discretion to the Secretary whether it should be or should not be done, whether the study should go forth.”