Political Quotes

“Madam President, I come to the floor to talk about what is the pending business before the floor, which is my legislation to end Big Oil subsidies in this country. Middle-class families are hurting, struggling to make ends meet. Yet today we are on the floor of the Senate fighting an uphill battle against those on the other side of the aisle who, with one hand, would continue handing out $24 billion in wasteful subsidies to five of the biggest, most profitable oil companies in the country and, with the other hand, take away vital programs from our Nation's veterans, its seniors, disabled children, just to name a few. We hear our Republican friends talk about balanced budgets and we hear them talk about austerity. We hear them saying we all have to tighten our belts, we all have to make hard choices on Medicare and veterans and veterans' benefits and student loans, just to name a few. Yet they will not, in that austerity or shared sacrifice, say we will end unnecessary tax breaks to Big Oil. They will continue to ask the same things they have asked a thousand times before, which is that the American taxpayers subsidize the richest five companies in the world, while we cut programs for our wounded soldiers, for our seniors, and for our students. Some people think of budgets just as boring documents with lots of bewildering numbers. In reality, they are statements about our priorities. This debate draws the brightest lines between our priorities and theirs.…”