Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I understand that today is set aside just for debate on amendments and on the bill. I certainly understand that, and I, accordingly, will not call up my amendment today. I do want to talk about an amendment I have filed--amendment No. 3892--so that I can put my colleagues on notice about this amendment and the importance of it. This amendment has a straightforward goal. It is to protect the existing legal structures that ensure that electricity and natural gas rates consumers pay will continue to be just and reasonable and free from manipulation. I am joined in the amendment by a strong bipartisan group of cosponsors, Senators who, like me, have worked hard over the years to strengthen consumer protections in this area of electricity and natural gas, who have worked cooperatively with me and others on the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to close the so-called Enron loophole. I want to particularly express my appreciation to Senator Murkowski, who is ranking member on the Energy Committee that I am privileged to chair; Senator Reid of Nevada, who is cosponsoring the amendment, and Senators Brownback, Cantwell, Cornyn, Wyden, and Corker. All of these Senators have cosponsored the amendment we filed last night. I am grateful for their support and the hard work of their staffs in developing the amendment. The bill currently before the Senate has several important objectives. It improves accountability in the financial system.…”