Political Quotes

“Since there is no opposition that is going to speak, I would like to take those 2 minutes as well. This is a very important vote. I know there are some people who think we should have gone through a regular process. The last time we went through a regular process, with individual votes coming to the floor by October 1, was 1994. It is 2011. As the appropriator, the chair of this committee, I knew that was not a way to go to bring quick relief to the disaster victims who need help. So the stand-alone approach, sending a strong vote from the Senate today, will help us negotiate with the House. They have a different idea. I happen not to agree with their idea. They are entitled to their own idea. We are entitled to our own idea, and our own idea is with Democrats and Republicans voting yes on this Burma sanctions bill, we can send reliable, long-term funding. In closing, let me tell you what the alternative is if you vote no. If you vote no on this and think you can go home and tell your people you helped them, you are going to be faced next week with a vote to give your people 6 weeks of disaster funding. That is how long the continuing resolution lasts. Believe me, having had to rebuild a good part of our State, you cannot do it 6 weeks at a time. I strongly suggest you give a strong vote for disaster victims, long-term funding they can rely on, and we negotiate with the House next week. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Franken).…”