Political Quotes

“I say through the Chair to my friend from California that yesterday I gave some remarks, and the outline of the speech mentioned there were scores of organizations supporting this bill. I looked at that and said to myself: There are hundreds and hundreds of organizations supporting this bill. So I recognize that, I say to my friend, the chairman of that committee. To rub salt in the wound of what we are going through, the House of Representatives, led by the Republican caucus--which is overwhelmingly tea party--decided they were going to do some legislation. That is dandy. Their legislation is so bad that the Congressional Budget Office said it would bankrupt the trust fund. We are trying to replenish the trust fund; they are bankrupting the trust fund. But as I hear on the news this morning, the Republican caucus over in the House is fractured, and now they can't figure out what to do with that bill. They are thinking, maybe we will break it into three different pieces. Even with the power of the tea party, it is so obnoxious and so out of control, that piece of legislation, they appear they are not going to allow a vote to take place on that bill itself because it is so bad. There is a simple way to avoid this headache; that is, Democrats and Republicans work together. We are here. We want to do this. Let's assume that I decide to file cloture on this bill. What I would do is have a substitute amendment. Let's say I decide to do that.…”