Political Quotes

“the 111th Congress is drawing to a close and families across the Nation are preparing for the holiday season. In the Senate, we still have many items on our agenda, bills we need to complete before we adjourn. Many of these bills represent the priorities of various Senators addressing issues that some have worked on for this entire Congress, some for several Congresses. Other bills are necessary to prevent certain longstanding policies from expiring, such as tax relief for working families, and still others are needed to avert cuts in key programs such as Medicare payments to doctors and protecting rehabilitative services for seniors. In addition to marking the start of the holiday season, this week also brings a devastating reminder of the economic disaster facing many families. On Monday, action to extend unemployment benefits to millions of people was blocked in the Senate by Republicans. Yesterday, those benefits expired. The Republicans are telling us we cannot consider any legislation until we take up tax breaks for millionaires. On December 1, more than 800,000 Americans were left without benefits and up to 2 million more will soon follow by the end of the year, including 48,000 Marylanders. There are some in this body who may not recognize the peril facing families whose benefits are being cut off. Every day I hear from Marylanders who are asking Congress for help. They want to work but can't find employment.”