Cory Booker: “I really appreciate the words of Senator Schatz, which are spot-on. People are so frustrated right now with Congress…”

“I really appreciate the words of Senator Schatz, which are spot-on. People are so frustrated right now with Congress, and it does not take a Ph.D. in political science to figure out why common Americans of all backgrounds are frustrated with Congress. It is because people are frustrated with business as usual here in the Senate and the House. In this case, as Senator Schatz points to, here we are at the end of the 113th Congress facing a $1 trillion spending bill--a bill with funding that is critical to our national defense. It is critical to the health and well-being of Americans. It is critical to the strength of our community. I know the sincerity and passion with which Senate and House negotiators have been working to get this done. They have been focusing on making sure the American public has those critical services that we need. I give tribute to many of the leadership in this body for working on it. Senate leaders should get credit, also--Barbara Mikulski for holding the line on so many critical priorities, for putting in this trillion dollar spending plan some very important items that should arouse the gratitude of many people. They also stood up against, fought, and prevented from getting into this some very extreme proposals.…”