Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I say to my colleagues that there were a lot of blanket statements about one's level of participation. I have negotiated with the chairman of this committee for 9 months on the reauthorization of our emergency preparedness and biodefense in this country. I know what negotiations are. I know what compromise is. I know what commitment of time is. I got this bill last Friday. I will find out where it went online, or which copy went online. My staff got this bill last Friday. Yes, we have read it. We have eight amendments, which is not as voluminous as Senator Rand Paul; but he gets that ability, as he gets the ability to be heard. The minority's only leverage in this institution is to have an opportunity to offer amendments and to debate them. I hear what the Senator is saying, but based upon the timeframe you set--you don't get the privilege of doing that when you have to deal with the minority. I know the chairman, for whom I have deep respect, has been here a long time, and he knows it. This could have been something very easily worked out with communications on both sides of the aisle. The fact is that, as I prepared for this markup, I was told there was an agreement, and that agreement meant the chairman and ranking member were going to hold this bill intact. There were going to be no exceptions to it. They were going to vote to make sure this bill didn't change.…”