Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to S.J. Res. 24. This year, we're celebrating the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Endangered Species Act. This milestone anniversary is very special to me. Not only is protecting America's imperiled species one of my top priorities, but it's a value that was shared by my husband. As an avid outdoorsman, strengthening our Nation's conservation and environmental policies was a core value of his, which is why he was 1 of the lead authors of the Endangered Species Act 50 years ago. But instead of celebrating this historic legislation's successes over the course of the last half century, our colleagues across the aisle are pushing legislation to worsen the already-dire state of America's wildlife and attack the Endangered Species Act. We are in the midst of a biodiversity crisis that's threatening the future of some of America's most treasured species. A report has recently found that 49 percent of bird species worldwide have declining populations, and monarch butterflies have declined 85 percent in 2 decades. This should alarm all of us. That's why I'm so disappointed with the resolution under consideration, and further attack the ESA by using the Congressional Review Act to gut protections for the lesser prairie-chicken and northern long-eared bat. I want to take a moment to point out how ridiculous and ill-timed these resolutions are. We are all preparing to go home and spend the next 6 weeks working in our districts.…”