Political Quotes

“I want to make clear to people why we ended up voting on the second-degree amendment. There is in Congress, on the State-Justice authorization bill, a conference on this very matter. Many of us have spent weeks trying to get the House to join us to resolve this matter. They have refused to meet. We included language that would force the House to meet with us or, under the supplemental, this language would die. It is sad in a way that authorizers cannot meet on the authorizing track to resolve policy matters; that policy matters have to be included on a supplemental appropriations bill. It is regrettable that efforts are not made to force the authorizers to meet and work. Maybe this Senate is so collapsed that there is no longer any need to authorize. I do not know why I serve on authorizing committees. I am half tempted to get off them. I do not know why I spend all these hours working on these matters and staff working on these matters to have it included in a supplemental appropriations bill.”