Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I come to the floor to urge my colleagues to join us in supporting the FIRST STEP Act, a bipartisan legislation that will make needed changes to Federal sentencing rules and prison reforms. A number of us have been working on this issue for years, but I do want to thank Chairman Grassley, who is here with us today, and Senator Feinstein for their leadership in getting it through the Judiciary Committee as well as Senator Durbin, who has been a longtime leader on this issue, and Senator Booker, who has worked so hard on this, as well as Senator Whitehouse and Senator Cornyn, who is here with us today, and many others. Senator Lee took on this cause at a time when it wasn't as easy as it is right now at the end of the year. I also want to thank the administration for working with us on this bill as well. As a former chief prosecutor in Minnesota's largest county, I understand the need to use our resources to target the most serious offenders to maintain public safety. You have to make decisions in those kinds of jobs every day: decisions about your priorities, where you are going to put your criminal justice money, what is the safest thing to do for the community, knowing that a number of our offenders do reenter into society, what is the best way to make sure that if they do come back into society, they are going to be functioning members of society; that they are not going to go back to drugs or they are not going to commit additional crimes.…”