Political Quotes

“let me begin by thanking the majority leader for his extraordinary leadership on this bill--and both sides, it has been a very tough negotiation. The Gang of 8--Senator Flake, Senator Bennet, Senator Rubio, Senator Menendez, Senator Graham, Senator Durbin, Senator McCain, and Senator Schumer--have worked very hard to bring a bill to the floor that, in my view, is not perfect, but it is balanced. It accomplishes many of the principles of fixing our broken immigration system. They have worked extraordinarily hard. Let me also thank Senator Leahy and Senator Grassley as the chair and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee that considered more than 300 amendments and voted on 121. I am disappointed, as are many people, that we did not get more votes on the floor, but I came to the floor earlier in the week and predicted that would happen. It is unfortunate, but it is not the first time. I have seen this movie. Members on the other side are disappointed, some of us are disappointed, and we are hoping we can find a more productive way forward. That is why I have spent some time on the floor talking about a step toward a more productive way. A few of us on both sides of this debate--some of us are voting against the bill, and some of us are voting for the bill--have been working on a small package of amendments that have bipartisan support, no substantive objection, and we are trying to get a short, small list cleared by both sides.…”