Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today, yet again, in support of a clean Homeland Security funding bill. First, Mr. Speaker, however, I want to thank my colleague, Patrick McHenry, for the tribute he gave a few moments ago to his predecessor in the 10th Congressional District of North Carolina, Cass Ballenger, who passed away last week. Cass Ballenger was a treasured colleague of mine. He and I came to the House together in the class of 1986. We worked together on a number of matters, including teacher recruitment and disaster relief. Cass used his time here and the work of his foundation to reach out to some of the neediest people in the hemisphere, in Latin America, in addressing their health care needs. He came here after a successful business career. He was a man of great goodwill, good humor. He was someone who was a great favorite on both sides of the aisle. So I am happy to join Patrick McHenry and other colleagues in remembering Cass Ballenger fondly and paying tribute to his years of good citizenship and service. Now, at this moment, Mr. Speaker, we are 38 hours away from a Department of Homeland Security shutdown which will undermine many of the agency's critical missions and force its essential employees to go without pay until the politics of all this are worked out.…”