Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I have just visited with Senator Rockefeller. Of course, we, along with Senator Hutchison, are trying to pass an FAA reauthorization bill, which is not as easy as it sounds. This is not one of the most controversial or difficult or passionate issues that divide America. We have plenty of those issues around. But this is about modernizing our air traffic control system, about reauthorizing the Airport Improvement Program, improving air safety--a wide range of issues. Still, anything that is brought to the floor of the Senate these days slows down--way, way, way down--and that is the case with this bill as well. I have described it as similar to trying to walk through wet cement to try to get something through the Congress. We have amendments pending dealing with school vouchers, putting discretionary caps on budgets, earmark reform--things that have very little or in most cases nothing to do with this underlying bill. It is just that this is an authorization bill open for amendment, so we have amendments on a wide range of issues. We also have other amendments that have been offered that are germane and relate to this piece of legislation, and we have been working through trying to put together an en bloc amendment with our staffs and Senator Rockefeller's staff, working through, with other colleagues, some of the suggestions. They make a lot of sense. I think we are making progress there. I have described before the need for this legislation.…”