Brian Jones: “let me also thank my colleagues from Tennessee and Delaware. I will tell you I wasn't here when that letter circulated…”

“let me also thank my colleagues from Tennessee and Delaware. I will tell you I wasn't here when that letter circulated; however, if you want to do an addendum, you have my permission to add my name to that letter because it is that important. I appreciate so much your comments. I have been here almost 1 year now. What I have seen is, it is often so easy, in our polarized political climate we have, that when issues we have faced like today come up, people go to their corners and it is the proverbial line in the sand and everybody wants to talk at each other and not to each other. So I appreciate very much Leader McConnell and Leader Schumer, who worked with my colleagues Senator Flake and Senator Corker in trying to make sure a motion to proceed is simply a motion to proceed to talk, to have those dialogues, so we can go about the business of government as we leave for the holidays at some point. I believe what has happened here late this afternoon is an important step, and it is especially an important step going into the next Congress to tell folks who are coming in and those of us who are coming back that we want to make sure we were put here to get something done, not just retreat to our corners. I thank everyone who was involved late this afternoon trying to make sure this agreement was reached.…”