Political Quotes

“this has become a familiar scene on Capitol Hill. As time ticks down to the wire, the House has sent the Senate yet another bill that will not pass. Meanwhile, American families stare down a $1,000 tax increase, and on January 1 they will be scrambling to afford the necessities because of Republican obstructionism that Americans don't understand. It has become the Republican fallback play: Waste precious time catering to tea party extremists when they could be working with Democrats to compromise. Republican leaders have already spent weeks drumming up tea party support for legislation they knew was dead on arrival in the Senate. Now it is time to get this vote over with so real negotiations can begin to prevent a tax increase on 160 million middle-class Americans. This morning I will ask unanimous consent to vote on the House-passed bill. Democrats were ready to vote on this legislation last night, but I can't set a vote at this time under Senate procedures without Senator McConnell's approval. Even though we already knew the bill was dead, Senator McConnell wasn't ready to hold a vote on it last night. That is an about-face from just a few hours before--even as recently as yesterday morning, Tuesday morning--and on Monday, for example, when Senator McConnell urged us to take up the House bill as soon as possible. This is what he said: My suggestion is that once this legislation comes over from the House, we pass it without delay.…”