Political Quotes

On the recordApril 4, 2017
Mr. President, I rise today to speak about one of the most important responsibilities we have here in the U.S. Senate: considering the President's nominee to the Supreme Court. It is a vote with consequences that will far outlast this Presidential administration. It is a vote with implications that will outlast all of our time here in the Senate. It will certainly be one of the most consequential decisions each one of us makes. That is because any one of the nine individuals named to the Supreme Court with a lifetime appointment can change the course of our Nation. In just the past few years, we have seen that. We have witnessed a series of 5-to-4 decisions that changed the trajectory of our society-- decisions that gutted section 4 of the Voting Rights Act and resulted in numerous States enacting discriminatory laws designed to limit access to the ballot box, especially for African-American and minority voters. The 5-to-4 Citizens United decision overturned the law of the land and Supreme Court precedent in order to empower corporations to spend unlimited sums of money in support of candidates for public office, corroding the fabric of our democracy. There were decisions that limit a woman's access to safe and affordable birth control and reaffirm the legal fiction that for-profit corporations should have the same rights as real people.…
Said by
Chris Van Hollen
Democratic · Maryland

Share & report

More from Chris Van Hollen

Mar 25, 2025

Mr. President, I rise to join my Senate colleague Senator Alsobrooks to talk about the 1-year anniversary of the collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore. We speak today on the floor on the eve of that solemn anniversary, and we remember…

Congressional Record · 2025-03-25
Mar 24, 2025

Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a dedicated public servant and Marylander Mark Sweeney, Principal Deputy Librarian of Congress. With almost 40 years of unwavering service to the Library of Congress, Mr. Sweeney has faithfully…

Congressional Record · 2025-03-24
Mar 21, 2025

So I guess they don’t want young people serving the country.

nbcnews.com
Mar 11, 2025

At least for now, I don’t see the votes. Based on my reading of the end of the meeting, I don’t see the votes there right now for passing the House Republican bill.

nbcnews.com

Other voices in this conversation