Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I appreciate the Presiding Officer, my dear friend, and I think he and I are very aware of this. If you ask the average person who knows about their Federal Government how many people are in the U.S. Senate, their answer is going to be 100, and they would be wrong. There are 100 Senators, but as the Presiding Officer and I both know, there are thousands of people who work in the U.S. Capitol for the U.S. Senate. This is a larger body of people who are critical to keeping this institution running. There are amazing folks who work here in the U.S. Senate. If you take the time to talk to them, you will hear stories that make you feel proud to be an American--from literally the people who are keeping the pipes under this place functional, who keep this place and its history and its heritage preserved. There are people on staffs who make sure the floor runs smoothly so Senators can present bills and ideas. This is an extraordinary collection of Americans who takes part in what is a hallowed and civic institution. But, perhaps, when people look at the floor, there are two Senators here, but there are probably 30 or so people on the floor right now, not to mention those working in the cloakrooms. But often, when people turn on their TVs and happen to catch it on C-SPAN--hi, Mom, who watches a lot--the folks they probably most overlook are the people I think bring an energy, an excitement, and an enthusiasm to this place, and those are the pages.…”