Political Quotes

“Madam President, reserving the right to object, the date was June 27, 2013, and on the floor of the U.S. Senate we had done something that no one believed could be achieved: We had, through the Gang of 8, established a comprehensive immigration reform bill. I was part of that Gang of 8--eight Senators, four Democrats and four Republicans--who labored for months to create that legislation. It was comprehensive, as I noted. It covered every aspect, from border all the way through the immigration process. We brought it to the floor in the hopes that, for the first time in decades, we would finally reach an agreement, a bipartisan agreement. The people who were involved in it--John McCain on the Republican side, Senator Flake from Arizona, Senator Graham from South Carolina, and four Democrats--worked hard to bring this to the floor. It was an opportunity for us to finally do something together. It got 68 votes. We needed 60, but we got 68 votes. There was a lot of celebration because business and labor and others were supporting us and so happy that we got it done. We know what happened to that bill. It went over and died in the House of Representatives. The Republican leadership over there refused to even call it for consideration. Of the Republican Senators currently on the floor, two of them were on the floor on June 27, 2013. They both voted no.…”