Political Quotes

“I rise tonight to discuss the so-called cap, cut, and balance legislation that has come to us from the House of Representatives. Congress is a coequal branch of the Federal Government. I have always believed it is a forum for informed, bipartisan debate of public policies that we all agree should help us achieve greater equality, opportunity, and treatment under the law, while nurturing and caring for our young and vulnerable, producing well-paying jobs, and investing in the future. That is why I have established good working relationships with my colleagues in both the Senate and the House and on both sides of the aisle. Unfortunately, this legislation abandons each of these principles. The challenge facing Congress today is urgent. The stakes are extremely high. Congress must raise the debt ceiling to fulfill our commitments and take meaningful steps to reduce our deficits and debt. However, the policies needed to achieve these goals cannot be negotiated at the expense of the safety net that our seniors, children, working-class, long-term unemployed, and minority communities depend upon, nor should they come at the cost of good government. The House legislation falls far short of what is needed. It makes no pretense to partisanship. On the contrary, it is a model of extreme bipartisanship. Moreover, it threatens to turn a recession into a depression.…”