Political Quotes

“We appreciate everyone's patience. The Republican leader and I wanted to come and say a few words. The measure before the Senate today is moderate bipartisan legislation. Its four component parts were reported out of four different committees with bipartisan support. Eighty-five Senators voted to begin debate on this legislation. As everyone will remember, we had to file cloture on a motion to proceed to this bill, and the Senate agreed we should move forward on this legislation. This bill will create or save 3 million middle-class jobs, and it enjoys broad support among rank-and-file members. Over 1,000 different organizations support this legislation--from the Chamber of Commerce, to the AFL CIO, and AAA. It has the endorsement of one of the Senate's most conservative Members and one of its most liberal Members, the two main managers of this legislation. Democrats and Republicans have agreed additionally to 30 other germane and relevant amendments, so there should be nothing standing in the way of progress on this crucial legislation. Yet for weeks Republicans have refused to work with Democrats to finalize a path forward. So in a few moments the Senate will vote on whether to end debate on this measure and to end another filibuster. The bill before this body is a bill that has been generated by the Environment and Public Works Committee. We have a provision in it from the Commerce Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Banking Committee that is before this body.…”