Political Quotes

“first, let me say that one of the points made by my dear friend from New Mexico is backward. We need to deal with this issue in a speedy fashion. There is one point that unites everybody with regard to this stimulus package: If it is not done quickly, its stimulative effect diminishes effectively, and there is a point at which it will not have the stimulative effect people would like. Therefore, speed is of the essence. One of the points about the Finance Committee package is, of course, if it were to pass, we would have to go to a conference committee between the House and the Senate which would obviously delay this process. I don't know how long it will take to get to conference or how long a conference committee will take, but it could be a lengthy process taking us beyond the February recess which means that, clearly, we will be talking about weeks to get this bill to the President. Were we, on the other hand, to follow Leader McConnell's advice and reject the Senate Finance Committee package and move to a modified version of the House-passed bill, we could get that to the House which could pass it, send it on to the President, and be done with it. That can all happen, frankly, by the end of this week.”