Political Quotes

On the recordSeptember 17, 2013
it is one thing for a politician to say he misspoke and another for most ordinary people to say they got it wrong. I made a statement on the floor of the Senate earlier this morning which turns out was not entirely accurate, and I would like to clarify it and correct it for the Record. I was recounting the history of the Social Security Program created by Franklin Roosevelt in 1935, and recounted that it faced a filibuster in the Senate. I mistakenly believed it was a Republican filibuster when in fact it was a filibuster by Senator Huey Long, a nominal Democrat, who was filibustering because of his support of certain agricultural subsidies. I want the Record to be clear the filibuster to delay or in any way impact the implementation of Social Security was in fact by Senator Long, not a Republican filibuster. I also note the information I used on the floor was derived from a book which I am reading entitled ``Citizens of London'' by Lynne Olson, and it is no reflection on her that I got that fact wrong. I remembered it wrong when I spoke to it on the floor. The Washington Post is going to go to great lengths tomorrow to explain my other errors in my statement, and I acknowledge I could have done more research before coming to the floor, but I stand by the premise that the notion we are somehow going to filibuster the Affordable Care Act to delay its implementation is not in the best interests of the United States.…
Said by
Dick Durbin
Democratic · Illinois
Source
govinfo.gov
Sep 17, 2013

Share

More from Dick Durbin

Aug 24, 2026

The lawmakers also emphasized that the Trump Administration’s definition of medical frailty far exceeds what is outlined in the law itself and creates additional onerous barriers for both patients and states.

duckworth.senate.gov
Aug 20, 2026

Sadly, for our nation, Todd Blanche is not that person.

durbin.senate.gov
Aug 26, 2026

Yesterday’s Supreme Court order is a temporary procedural win for President Trump as he attempts to pursue these lawless goals—but it doesn’t change the reality that the Constitution empowers states to run our elections, and the rule of…

durbin.senate.gov
Aug 26, 2026

Together, you’ve created a space where residents can access pediatric care, behavioral health services, housing and employment support, and much more.

durbin.senate.gov

Other voices in this conversation