Political Quotes

“Secretary Mattis informed Congress: Long term CRs impact the readiness of our forces and their equipment at a time when security threats are extraordinarily high. The longer the CR, the greater the consequences for our force. So my Republican colleagues should take no solace in the harmful CR-- whether it is 3 weeks or 4 weeks--that they are continuing to insist that the U.S. Senate approve. In fact, I believe we can fully fund our government today without requiring the mass draconian deportation of children in March, without abandoning our commitment to opioid treatment programs, without ending the Children's Health Insurance Program, without forgoing community health centers, and without forgoing pensions our veterans need. We can do all of it. We must do all of it. The elements of consensus are there. There is bipartisan support for every one of these programs. Opioid treatment and addiction were supported in the Cures Act, as well as other measures, by overwhelming bipartisan consensus. We all support opioid treatment programs. We support addressing the pension needs of veterans of this Nation and their challenges. We cannot abandon them. We support making sure there is disaster relief for Puerto Rico, Texas, and Florida. We support measures that will preserve the Children's Health Insurance Program and the community health centers. These measures should not be options, luxuries, or choices. We have an obligation.…”