Political Quotes

“Madam President, I wasn't going to come over here today--I just got off an airplane a little while ago--but I am here because of what I have been hearing. What I have been hearing is that we need to be talking about the shutdown and not other subjects. When I met with the TSA agents on my plane flying up here, they said: Why don't you get our work back for us? We are not even talking about TSA. We are not even talking about the shutdown. We are talking about different opinions at different times and different things that don't really matter in the scheme of things. I appreciate what the distinguished ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee just said, but quite frankly, last week he was talking about how important it was for us to stay on the shutdown and not do anything else. Now the leader on the minority side says it is important for us to get this Russian gentleman or oligarch--whatever that is--whom we are already punishing, and then we will go back to the shutdown. My point is this: There is only one thing we need to be doing-- restoring the confidence of the American people in the Senate and the House. They don't have it right now. We haven't given them anything to hang their hat on--not a single thing. We have been shut down for 23, 24 days. I am not a Johnny-come- lately--pardon the reference--to the issue of shutdowns. I have been in the Senate and House for 20 years. I voted against five shutdowns-- every one I had a chance to.…”