Political Quotes

“I rise today in support of the legislation authored by my good friend from New Jersey, Senator Menendez. But before I do, I want to call attention to the highway bill and its holdup by our colleagues in the House. Once again, we are facing the specter of an unnecessary shutdown caused by intransigence in the House Republican caucus, and time is ticking away. Should we reach the March 31 deadline without passing a bill, States' contract authority for construction projects will cease, and 2.9 million jobs will be put at grave risk. It doesn't have to be this way. Speaker Boehner has once again been painted into a corner by the extreme wing of his caucus, which is committed to blocking a responsible highway bill at every turn. It has become clear Speaker Boehner has run out of options. He has tried to pass a highly partisan House-drafted highway bill, and that failed. He has tried to pass a 90-day extension on Monday, and that failed. He then tried to pass a 60-day extension on Tuesday, and that failed as well. Now we have learned the House will not vote on any type of extension today either. Time is running out. Speaker Boehner simply cannot pass a transportation bill of any length without Democratic votes, and it is time he accepts that. Fortunately, Mr. President, there is an easy way out that already has a stamp of approval from some of the most conservative Republicans in Congress. The House could pass the Senate bill.…”