Political Quotes

“Madam President, I rise to talk about the disastrous consequences if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle continue to prioritize politics and posturing over what is best for Americans and our fragile economic recovery. We have 27 hours to convince them that shutting down the government should not be treated as a gimmick, that shutting down the government is a serious matter with serious consequences for almost every American. But before I go into the consequences and their impact on my constituents, I want to take a moment to reflect on how we got here, how we are now in a position where a government shutdown is 27 hours away. One thing is certain: There is a lot of misinformation and confusion out there. A number of my friends on the other side of the aisle have been saying that the Democrats and the President refused or failed to pass appropriations for fiscal year 2011. This is revisionist and confused history. One of my colleagues, a new Member, said today: Why was it that a few months ago, after the election but before the new Congress took over, when the President had both houses of Congress under control of his party, why did he opt not to pass a full budget for fiscal year 2011? The Presiding Officer knows this is just not true. This isn't true. I have been hearing a lot of this. We had appropriations legislation for the entire Federal Government ready to go. Democrats were in support of it.…”