Political Quotes

“Mr. President, we have hit a roadblock, not because of the substance, but because of a disagreement over a completely unrelated bill, the re-authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. A bill that I, along with a majority of Senators, strongly support. I respect my colleague, Senator Burr. He is a true leader on LWCF. It never should have expired. The reauthorization has strong, bipartisan support. Fifty-three Senators signed a letter led by Senator Burr recently, and I am confident there are over 60 supporters. I believe that we will reauthorize and continue to fund LWCF. As the ranking Democrat on the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, that is an extremely high priority for me and it is extremely important to the people of my State. I want to work with Senator Burr. But, LWCF is being blocked by a small minority from Senator Burr's own party. We have to fight that, and we will. But, TSCA reform should not be held up by demands for a vote on unrelated LWCF legislation. Groups like the National Wildlife Federation and others who support LWCF reauthorization have called to decouple the two. Other members of the LWCF coalition have told me this as well. The safety of American families should not be held hostage to the LWCF because the result is all too obvious. The safety of our children and grandchildren is put at risk each and every day that we delay TSCA reform. Is it any wonder the American people look at the Senate with dismay and confusion?…”