Political Quotes

“I rise tonight to urge my colleagues to support the Omnibus appropriations bill before us. The bill represents a massive bipartisan effort that rests upon a framework that preserves all legacy riders, rejects poison pill policy provisions from both sides, and achieves dollar-for-dollar funding parity for defense and nondefense increases. As political compromise has become more and more difficult here, great credit, I believe, belongs to Chairman Leahy for making the tough choices that needed to be made and showing leadership to reach this agreement tonight. The senior Senator from Vermont, who also serves this body as the President pro tempore, has accomplished many things in his long and his distinguished career. Each and every one of these accomplishments were made possible by his unparalleled ability to get things done, and this bill needed to get done. Because the international security situation demands a greater emphasis on and investment in our national defense, this omnibus bill provides $782 billion for the Department of Defense and for other defense functions; $4 billion more than the level authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act; $30 billion more than President Biden's budget request; and nearly $42 billion more than 2021.…”