Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the amendment offered by the senator from Oklahoma that would prohibit congressionally designated spending items from being included in any authorization, appropriations, or other bill for 3 years. I firmly believe the appropriations process needs to be changed. I have supported strong reforms to increase transparency and accountability, and have pushed hard for these necessary reforms while ensuring that my State of Minnesota is not put at a competitive disadvantage. In fact, before being sworn in as a U.S. Senator, I promised Minnesotans that I would fight to fund their priorities in an open manner and pledged to include these requests on my official Web site. At that point in time, the posting of requests online was not a rule of U.S. Senate. Since arriving in the Senate, I have supported several important reforms to how Congress directs spending. I have voted for limitations on earmarks, including voting to ensure that American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds would be competitively bid. I also voted to rescind funds directed to certain transportation projects that have not been spent. Clearly, there is more we can do to improve this process and I will continue to push for necessary reforms. However, I believe that congressional appropriations help provide much-needed resources for important programs and projects across my State.…”