Political Quotes

“this is not a partisan bill. There are times I am on the floor advocating for partisan advantage, but that is not what we have here. We have managers of this bill who have worked very hard for a long time, and this is where we are now. We are to a point where there have been a number of amendments offered, there have been objections made, and so no amendments are allowed to be debated or voted on, and that is where we find ourselves procedurally. As the manager of the Senate, I am left with no option except to look to the next alternative to try and move things along, which will be after midnight tonight. At 12:30 a.m. or 1 a.m. this morning, we would have a vote on cloture on the bill. I say to my friends who oppose this--and I know they believe in their opposition to it fervently--it is a big waste of time. We have had overwhelming votes twice. Whether we vote after midnight tonight or at 6 p.m. this evening, it will still be the same result. So I would hope those who oppose this will take a look at this and maybe arrive at a point so we can have a vote earlier. If that doesn't happen, everyone should understand we are going to come here sometime after midnight tonight and move forward on this legislation. After that, of course, it is only a majority vote to complete this legislation. The managers are still ready to allow amendments to be offered. It is getting late in the day. The 30 hours is grinding to a halt. I hope we can get something done and move on.…”