Political Quotes

“Madam President, reserving the right to object, I would just like to observe that it was just over 20 years ago that this Chamber and the analog Chamber across the way in the House of Representatives passed almost unanimously a statute called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. It was sponsored in the House by then-Representative Schumer, and it was sponsored in this Chamber by Senator Edward Kennedy, and signed by President Bill Clinton into law, who, upon its signing, referred to religious liberty as our first freedom--those are his words--and he later pointed to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as one of his proudest accomplishments as President of the United States. Its cosponsors in this body included Senators Feinstein and Murray and Leahy. It was bipartisan is my point, to put it mildly. Yet, today, this short time on the legislation that is offered on this floor now, that has not gone through the normal process of committee referral, debate on the floor but would be passed now, without any further discussion, guts key provisions of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This is coming on the heels of a Supreme Court decision just 2 days ago that rewrites entire statutes in American law and in its 33 pages has nearly nothing to say about religious liberty or religious believers in this country. In fact, the only thing that the opinion does say of any consequence is this: How [the courts'] . . .…”