Political Quotes

“let me say a few words about a number of issues today. I think we have had a productive week. I did wish to say a few words about the FISA bill--the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Both the House and the Senate have passed bills to strengthen the 1978 FISA law. The House passed its bill in November, and we passed our bill several weeks ago. Since Senate passage, the chairmen of the Senate and House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees have been working to resolve their differences between the two pieces of legislation. Democratic staffers have been meeting to work out a strong and broadly supported final bill, but with the exception of Senator Specter, Republicans have instructed their staffs not to participate in these negotiations. Today, the Republican leader asserted on the Senate floor once again that the Senate bill should be jammed through the House. As my friend, the Republican leader, knows, that is not how Congress works and never has worked that way. The law-making process dictates the House pass a bill, the Senate then passes a bill, or vice versa, and then Members in both Chambers work through their differences in a conference to see if they can work out a compromise. On numerous occasions, the Republican leader himself has insisted upon following that time-honored method of legislating.…”