Political Quotes

On the recordJuly 20, 2022
now, back to my statement. I came to the floor and heard a speech by the Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Now, it wasn't the first. I have heard many, and I listen closely so that I can divine the strategy of Senate Republicans. And for weeks we have heard speeches about the plight of American families dealing with inflation. It is a real problem. If you go to buy anything these days, you are shocked by the price, starting at the gas pump, if you have aspirations to buy a car or truck, ordinary food items--much more expensive. Most families are not seeing any increase in income so it is a real hardship for them to keep up. Well, the Senator from Kentucky has given that speech so many times, I could almost repeat it verbatim. And I don't quarrel with his premise. Inflation is painful for working families. But then--but then--he went into an area of pricing and took an exactly opposite point of view. What he said was he thought, if there was an effort to control the price of prescription drugs, it was ``socialist price control,'' it was really asking for something for nothing, and he didn't support it. And I stopped to think for a second. Wait a minute. All the polling, when you ask American families what they worry about, tells you that this is a big headache for families. They go to a doctor. Somebody is sick. The doctor prescribes a drug. They take the prescription to the drug store. They get it filled.…
Said by
Dick Durbin
Democratic · Illinois

Share

More from Dick Durbin

Jul 25, 2026

It is despicable that the administration is taking away funding from states that did not vote for Trump.

commondreams.org
Jul 24, 2026

It is unacceptable that the government’s top law enforcement agency, the FBI, has reportedly chosen to ignore its mission to enforce the law and instead does the White House’s bidding.

durbin.senate.gov
Jul 29, 2026

70 million Americans will pay a price that is just too heavy to pay.

durbin.senate.gov
Jul 24, 2026

For 150 years, the Chicago Cubs have been the heart of our great city. For 150 years, they have brought millions of fans together from across the world to all chant ‘Go, Cubs, Go!’

duckworth.senate.gov

Other voices in this conversation