Political Quotes

“Mr. President, Dara Lindenbaum is the President's nominee to be a Member of the Federal Election Commission. We are scheduled to vote on that nomination today. On April 6, the Committee on Rules and Administration held a hearing to consider this nominee. She shared her credentials for the job and her understanding of the agency's mission and the role of a commissioner. On May 3, she was favorably reported out of committee. I supported her nomination to be voted out of committee. The Federal Elections Commission plays a vital role for Campaign Finance Committees. As a former Secretary of State, I work with the FTC on a regular basis; and since that time, I have run in many Federal elections. I know how important a fully functioning FEC is to Federal candidates who need to avail themselves of the FEC's guidance and advisory opinions. I also know how important the stability of the agency is to the regulated community. While the commissioners to the Federal Election Commission are, by design, partisan, it is unlikely that every Senator will agree with the views of all nominees. Ms. Lindenbaum has expressed a willingness to work with the other commissioners and find consensus to do the important work of the agency. I am a Republican and Ms. Lindenbaum is a Democrat. This Commission only works with if there is an equal number of Republicans and Democrats. Sadly, with the three Republican nominees from the last administration, the vote on the floor was 49 to 43, 49 to 47, 50 to 46.…”