Political Quotes

“I have also been told that aid to 22 other States is in jeopardy if the bill is not passed. So what is happening, as we entertain amendment after amendment, is that one State will eventually be pitted against the other; and somehow it occurs to me that that is not the way the Senate of the United States should be doing business in a time of emergency. I say this quite respectfully because I know that to the people making the amendments, the amendments are very important and they worked a long time to develop them. But I urge my colleagues to find another vehicle so that we do not pit floodplain relief in the Midwest against emergency supplemental relief in California. In this bill, in one of the amendments pending, there will be an amendment to take the Cypress Expressway--which was destroyed during the Loma Prieta earthquake--off on the basis that it is no longer an emergency. I point out that in this bill there is $685 million in continuing relief for the Midwest floods. It is not an emergency right now, but the prior supplemental was not adequate. Therefore, $685 million is added to this supplemental for floods. So I say what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. If, in a prior supplemental flood needs are not met, it is appropriate that they be in this supplemental, just as it is appropriate for the Cypress Expressway reconstruction funds to be in this supplemental.”