Political Quotes

“Republicans don't actually have to do this. I understand, as well as anybody, wanting to go along with your party's President, especially in the early months. But being part of an independent and coequal branch has to mean something. Being part of the article I branch means something very specific, and it means that we are the legislature, and we control the purse strings. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that if the President wants something, you must do it. What worries me the most about this rescissions package, if it passes, is that it is one thing for the President's signature accomplishment--signature policy priority--to be supported by Republicans in the legislature. I understand that. I understand the inevitable political momentum behind that. But this isn't that. We have now gone 6 months without a single instance of Republicans and Democrats coming together and establishing that there are some limitations on this President's power. If you remember the first Trump term, there were a couple of moments when the legislature actually stood up to the President, overrode a veto of his, rejected a rescissions package. They stood up for their prerogatives. Do you know what happened next? Nothing. Why? Because that is actually how the system is supposed to work. We are not a parliamentary system.…”