Political Quotes

“I served actively on the Appropriations Committee for 23 years. I am still a member on leave. Never, in the 36 years that I have been here, have I seen an omnibus appropriation bill or a minibus appropriation bill brought to the floor before the August break. Regular order is to bring each bill to the floor, debate each bill on its merit, have the opportunity to offer amendments, and debate the merits of the amendments and of that particular bill. However, the majority party has not done its job, and I do not hold accountable the members of the Appropriations Committee. I want to make that clear. But, for whatever reasons, regular order has not been followed, and so each Member of the Congress of the United States is confronted with either voting for all of the bill with component parts, the Legislative bill, Energy and Water, MILCON-VA, Defense bill, that they may not like, but if they vote ``no,'' they will be accused of being against the security of the United States. That, my friends, is baloney. In their pledge to America, Republicans said: ``We will advance major legislation one issue at a time.'' This belies that representation. The sponsors of this minibus package, Mr. Chair, claim it will make America more secure. I reject that argument.…”