Political Quotes

“Madam President, reserving the right to object, while we very much appreciate what Senator Duckworth is trying to accomplish, I must object to the request for unanimous consent. The bill has only one cosponsor and has not gone through regular order, the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee has not considered the policy implications of the legislation, and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs that I chair has not been given an opportunity to understand the budgetary impacts the bill would have. This legislation would be a significant policy change for VA and would reduce revenue to VA medical centers by eliminating certain copayments. Policy changes such as this should be thoughtfully considered through full committees before being considered by the full Senate. I look forward to working with Senator Duckworth to see if we can get this resolved, but based on these facts, I object. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard. The Senator from Illinois.”