Political Quotes

“I agreed to allow the minority leader to go first as a courtesy to him. There are many things he said that I believe reflect a viewpoint many of us on this side of the aisle do not share. I would only note that when we talk about bipartisanship, it was our understanding that the leadership on both sides, for example, agreed we would get 10 appropriations bills passed out of the Senate before the July recess. Due to the extensive debate and extended dilatory activities engaged in on this floor prior to our August recess, to get something like the fifth, sixth, and seventh bill before us, we had to invoke cloture. Now, to me, that is not a mark of good bipartisan cooperation. We have been stalled for many months. There have been examples where we have worked on a bipartisan basis. In another role, I express my appreciation to my colleagues on the Democratic side of the aisle for getting our Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development bill passed. I think we have worked on a bipartisan basis there. But with the problems we are having with the appropriations bills, the problems we are having throughout, I do not think the other side can say we have been the ones who have refused to operate in a bipartisan manner.”