Political Quotes

“It is incumbent upon us, Mr. Chairman, to work together to pass a fiscally responsible budget agreement that lifts the sequester caps. We cannot simply skip to appropriations without determining what our budget priorities are first. It is as critical for our national defense as it is for our ability to support economic growth. Moreover, this is the earliest, as I have said before, that I can ever remember that the House considered either an omnibus or minibus appropriations bill. It is an acknowledgement by the majority that the House will not be able to move these bills through under regular order, given Republicans' internal divisions over spending bills. So instead of working with Democrats to craft individual appropriations bills that can pass the House, they are resorting to legislative tactics to push them through on partisan votes. I will remind my friends across the aisle that they have been unable to enact a single funding bill in the past 7 years without ultimately appealing to Democratic votes. So I urge my colleagues to reject this minibus package and make it clear that we first ought to negotiate a budget agreement that provides certainty and clarity to the entire Federal Government, not just a handful of agencies. And we ought to do it through an open and transparent process, with Members permitted to offer amendments that can shape a budget and appropriations bills truly reflective of the Nation's priority as a whole. Mr.…”