Political Quotes

“I thank the Senator from Virginia for his question. I think that is the essence of this debate, why we are on the floor today and why we are lodging this protest. If you look at why the ratings of Congress are so low, it is because of the challenges we are ignoring. People are upset that we are fighting and bickering all the time, but they are also deeply upset that there are these epidemics and public safety crises and we are doing nothing. I think our ability to respond to this in a bipartisan way to reflect the support of 98 percent of the American public is about saving lives but also about fulfilling our constitutional responsibility. Why did we sign up for this job? Why did we decide to be a U.S. Senator if we were going to ignore this epidemic of slaughter in this Nation? There is nobody who disagrees with the fact that this is a major problem. It is in the headlines in the papers on almost a weekly basis. Why become a Senator if you are going to ignore this? I thank the Senator from Virginia for his remarks and the question. I will yield to the Senator from Minnesota for a question without losing my right to the floor. She has been such a leader in general on this issue focusing on protecting victims of domestic violence. This hopefully will lead to one of the breakthroughs we are seeking in the context of this debate. I yield to the Senator from Minnesota for her question.”