Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise in opposition to this bill. We are now in overtime. The scheduled date for ending this session was December 8. That date, of course, was substantially later than we normally suggest ending the session. Notwithstanding that fact, we did not meet that deadline. In the Pledge to America, our Republican colleagues, when they were running for office to seek the majority--which they got--they pledged to America that they would not put nongermane items in must-pass bills. That, apparently, was a campaign pledge not to be honored in practice. In the Pledge to America, they also said that we needed to do appropriation bills one after another. That, apparently, was a pledge to be honored during the campaign but not in practice. So we have ourselves confronted with a bill that must pass. We must not leave this city and our responsibilities without extending unemployment insurance. We must not leave Washington, D.C., for this holiday season, delivering a block of coal in the stockings of our constituents by failing to continue the tax cut from their payroll taxes. And we must not leave Washington, D.C., without affecting a continuation of the proper reimbursement of doctors to ensure that Medicare patients will be able to get their doctors' services. We have three items to focus on to get done and nine appropriation bills.…”