Political Quotes

“I am pleased to see that Senators have endorsed the conference report in a bipartisan way. We appreciate the support that this is receiving. In every conference, there are always issues that arise that cannot be resolved to suit all Senators or all Members of the other body. But I must say to the Senate that this was a conference that was open, fair, and it allowed for the participation of all conferees, both parties in the Senate, and the same with the House. We had two sessions; one was in the Capitol over on the House side and another was on the Senate side in the Mansfield Room, where any Senator or any Member from the House who wanted to speak before the conference had the right to do so. In addition, Members had the opportunity to offer motions, amendments, or suggestions for the benefit of members of the conference. I was very pleased to acknowledge, at the time, the important participation of the ranking member on the Democratic side in the Senate committee, Senator Byrd, who took an active role in the discussions, who offered a motion at one point to insist upon the position of the Senate in the conference. Other members could have done the same or argued against including any provision of the House-passed bill. There has been some discussion today about the REAL ID provision. I didn't think that was a wonderful idea myself. It was not included in the Senate bill. It was a House provision.…”