Political Quotes

“I have another subject I wish to talk about, and maybe this one will be a little more constructive right now in terms of my Republican leader's response because he and I yesterday had a constructive meeting on the matter of processing the President- elect's nominations to the Cabinet. We are still working out several details, but on this issue I want to express my appreciation for the majority leader's willingness to have a dialogue and work in good faith toward a process both sides of the aisle can live with. Our caucus thinks it is absolutely essential that the Senate has a chance to appropriately vet the nominees, and the American people deserve to hear their views and qualifications in public hearings, especially for the most powerful Cabinet positions. We all know Cabinet officials have enormous power and influence over the lives of everyday Americans. They run massive government agencies that do the actual work of implementing our laws, keeping our Nation safe from terrorism, protecting the environment and civil rights, promoting clean energy and affordable housing--on and on. Every facet of public life is governed by a very powerful Cabinet official. It is only right that we in the Senate--and by extension the American people--get to thoroughly vet their baseline acceptability for these jobs.…”