Political Quotes

“I have been here 30 years. This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. This is absolutely mind-boggling. This is brain dead. We have a roughly $400 billion defense bill. We may be asked to go to war. And some bureaucratic functionary, somewhere in the bowels of OMB--if that is what is to be believed--is suggesting that we hold up this bill because they do not want to allow disabled veterans to have concurrent receipt of their disability and their military pension. That is brain dead. And, Mr. President--you are not listening; but I hope your staff is listening--stop this. Stop this. Stop this. It makes no sense, Mr. Chairman, to yield to blackmail that they'll veto this bill when the Senate has overwhelmingly voted for concurrent receipt. If you yield to this, Mr. Chairman, I will be dumbfounded--dumbfounded. I know you've worked a whole year. I have worked a whole year, and up to 8 years, on legislation. But I can't believe you'd even listen to somebody who would say this. Why wouldn't you pick up the phone and call up the President and say: Mr. President, is this the deal? Is this the deal? Tell me straight up, boss. What is the deal? Because if it is, it is outrageous. So I suggest we just pick up the phone and call the President. You have a close relationship with him. Call him. Ask him. Ask him. I pray to God he would not even think of saying to you: No. I will veto a $400 billion bill at the same time while nailing the veterans. Call him.…”