Political Quotes

“I come to the floor to announce a very difficult decision that I have made; that is, to vote against the confirmation of Betsy DeVos to be our Nation's next Secretary of Education. This is not a decision that I have made lightly. I have a great deal of respect for Mrs. DeVos. I believe she is a good person. I know she cares deeply about the children of this Nation. But for the reasons that I will explain, I simply cannot support her confirmation. Later today, the Senate will vote on a motion to proceed to the DeVos nomination. I will vote to proceed to the nomination because I believe that Presidents are entitled to considerable deference for the selection of Cabinet members, regardless of which political party is in power, and that each and every Senator should have the right to cast his or her vote on nominees for the Cabinet. That is why, during President Obama's administration, I voted for procedural motions, including cloture, to allow the President's nominees for Secretary of Defense and for Secretary of Labor to receive up-or-down votes by the full Senate, even though I ultimately voted against those two nominees on the Senate floor. At the time, I stated that it is appropriate for every Senator to have an opportunity to vote for or against an individual Cabinet member, and I still believe that is the right approach.…”