Political Quotes

“I come to the floor, as I have on a number of occasions, to urge colleagues to extend unemployment benefits for now well over 1 million people who have lost their benefits because of the stalling, the filibustering, unfortunately, by colleagues on the other side of the aisle. I am very appreciative of the fact that we have two Republican colleagues joining with us to stop a filibuster, but as the Presiding Officer knows, that is not enough. We need one more Member to come forward to join us, not to get a majority to pass unemployment benefits--we have a majority--but we do not have a supermajority. That has now been required on every single issue that has come before the Senate in order to try to get things done for the American people. When I was home last week--of course I jump on a plane every Friday and come back on Monday; I view this as a long distance commute to work--I heard over and over concerns from families who have been employed all their life, had good middle-class lifestyles, have had the ability to take care of their families, have had not only the ability to have a home but maybe a cottage or a mobile home to be able to enjoy beautiful northern Michigan and the Great Lakes in the summertime, and folks who have felt confident they could send their kids to college, who literally had the rug pulled out from under them through no fault of their own.”