Political Quotes

“Mr. President, my friend and colleague from Texas came to the floor to describe the budget and appropriations process which we face in this session of Congress. Our fiscal year begins October 1, and it is only a few weeks away. Under the orderly course of business, we would pass 12 different appropriations bills and fund the government for the next fiscal year. To date, we have not passed any of those bills in the Senate. I would like to say a word in defense of the Senate Appropriations Committee on which I am honored to serve. This committee has had lengthy hearings and has produced 12 appropriations bills. I would say that these bills are good, bipartisan bills and with only a few exceptions are being brought forward in good faith in an effort to meet our constitutional obligation to fund the government. One of the earliest bills that were brought forward was the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill. It is not considered to be a highly controversial bill, and it was understandable that it was one of the first appropriations bills brought to the floor. The Senators who prepared the bill--Republican Senator Kirk from Illinois, my home State, Democratic Senator Jon Tester--brought it to the floor. They added a provision in the bill that the President asked for to deal with the Zika crisis. Back in February, President Obama asked for $1.9 billion to deal with the public health crisis caused by this mosquito-borne disease, the Zika virus.…”