Political Quotes

“Mr. President, last night the Senate advanced a bipartisan immigration reform bill that will be good for national security and very good for our economy. It will be good for American citizens as well as those who aspire to one day become citizens. It is truly gratifying to see the momentum behind this commonsense reform proposal. Eighty-four Senators voted to adopt the motion to proceed to this legislation--a very strong vote. By comparison, the Senate failed to advance an immigration reform bill just 6 years ago when only 46 Senators voted to end debate on that measure. It is a sign of progress that the legislation now before the Senate has not been stopped procedurally. I hope we are allowed to proceed on this legislation without being blocked by some arcane Senate rule and that we can finish this legislation and send it to the House of Representatives. I applaud the Gang of 8 for their bipartisan proposal. That is how the Senate used to work. They worked hard. They have worked through hundreds of different proposals. After the Gang of 8 finished their work, they took it before the Judiciary Committee. There were over 100 amendments--many more than 100 amendments. They adopted 46, and some 40 amendments were Republican amendments that were adopted. Chairman Leahy conducted a fair markup, and no one disputes that.…”