Political Quotes

“I want to echo Representative Cole's praise for Chairman McGovern for leading for years in this body in helping Congress reassert its role on matters of war and peace. I want to just note the difference procedurally of what happened. Every time we introduced this in the last Congress, Speaker Ryan didn't allow a vote. He tied a vote on Yemen with a vote on endangered wolves. In contrast, Chairman McGovern, not only is he allowing a vote on the resolution of Yemen, he is allowing a vote on an amendment that Representative Buck has offered that I oppose vehemently, that I went to him and I said, ``This is going to gut the entire resolution.'' What did Chairman McGovern do? Did he say, ``Oh, we will go behind closed doors. Don't worry. We won't allow a vote?'' No. He said, ``We are going to bring it to a vote on this floor.'' I said, ``Do we have the votes?'' He said, ``I don't know.'' Why are we bringing it to the floor? Because that is a democracy. That is what we are supposed to do in a democracy. We will have the votes. You know how I know we are going to have the votes and it is going to be a bipartisan vote? Because when Lindsay Graham is quoted saying he may vote in support of the resolution, you know there is going to be an overwhelming vote. I want to just address one point, because Representative Cole is one of the more thoughtful Members here and I take what he says very seriously, but on the War Powers Act, we just disagree.…”