Political Quotes

“I wonder if I can just share with my friend, the whip, the Senator from Oklahoma, relative to the roles that seem to be eroding here as authorizers, and as a member of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, my friend from Oklahoma knows really what is happening here. It is almost like a line-item veto that is being dictated by the administration on this legislation, where we have met with them, taken out what they objected to, then they move the goalposts and come back with 46 more. The constitutional structure of Government suggests the legislative body is involved in a process. Our process is hearings, input and movement on the bill. But they seem to come in and line-item veto or cherry-pick and say, ``No, this is unacceptable.'' If this continues, clearly the legislative responsibility that we have as authorizes is taken away. Of course, I have always had a concern about these items moving on to the appropriations bill, because the appropriators then become the authorizers as well, or they simply control the disposition.”