Political Quotes

“I appreciate my colleague's very gracious comments on this, and I appreciate the burden he is under. It is not easy to be the chairman of a committee. You have responsibilities to meet and you have a lot of good requests that come your way. I would make the case to my colleagues, I think there has been a strong indication this is a matter in which we have been able to come together. We were so divided on so many issues, but on child care we found common ground three times already in the last 7 or 8 months, the three votes that have been cast on this issue. In fact, the previous ones were on mandatory spending. This one is discretionary, so it ought to be somewhat more palatable for people. I appreciate the comments of the Senator from Pennsylvania on how much is already committed. But, of course, I still make the case it still only serves 1 in 10 families--I know he knows--and there are a lot of people on waiting lists, thousands in each State, even with the income levels down. As I said, in 8 States it is $17,000 less; in 14 States, it is $20,000 less. I don't know how a family earning $20,000 a year with all the other financial burdens they have also can meet a child care expense they may have. So while I am deeply appreciative of the quandary he is in, I make a case this strengthens the likelihood we might get 51 votes for the bill. It is the kind of bipartisan proposal that has enjoyed so much support.”