I thought there were some things we should talk about. I say to my friend, in listening to my friend from Kansas say this, it occurred to me that certain of his amendments were allowed. The Senator was allowed to debate them and offer them, but they were not adopted. It seems to me, as I have said before, the right of the minority ought to be to offer amendments, to have them considered, to have them voted on, but it does not mean it is the right of the minority to win every time on those amendments. I say to my friend, on that financial services bill, I had an amendment too and I could not get it in. I was on the majority side, and they would not let me offer one either. So both sides have some legitimate points. I also say to my friend from Kansas, and others, we can get into this tit for tat, who started it. I think we have to kind of quit that. I could come back and say: Well, yes, in the last 2 years, the tree was filled 44 times. In this last session, 44 times the tree was filled, but there were 136 filibusters. Why wouldn't there be 44 filibusters? Why were there 136? We can get into that tit for tat, who did what to whom. I wish to forget about all that. We could go back, probably, to the 18th century--tit for tat, who did what to whom at some point in time. I ask my friend from Kansas, who has been here a long time--we served together in the House; my friend was chairman of the Agriculture Committee in the House.…
Share & report
More from Tom Harkin
The Protect Student Borrowers Act would hold colleges and universities accountable for student loan defaults by requiring them to repay a percentage of defaulted loans.
I introduced the Protect Student Borrowers Act with Senators Durbin, Warren and Murphy--and I want to thank Senator Warren for her great leadership on this issue and many other issues.
I oppose this legislation to approve the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Again, I believe it is one more step in the wrong direction, one more capitulation to our fossil fuel habit, one more accelerant to global warming that…
The Biden Administration has taken some important steps to right those wrongs, discharging student loans for borrowers who were not able to graduate.





