Political Quotes

“we must pass another extension of government funding by this Thursday. There isn't much time to waste, and yet Speaker Ryan is again considering a CRomnibus--a short-term extension of funding for urgent domestic priorities but a long-term extension and a large increase in funding for defense--to placate the ultraconservatives in his caucus. Of course, a CRomnibus is merely a ruse designed to slash funding for education, healthcare, infrastructure, and scientific research--all the things that many in the Freedom Caucus don't want the government to support. That is why 44 Senate Democrats warned our Republican colleagues in a letter last year that we wouldn't support a CRomnibus and that it could never pass the Senate. We want to fund defense, absolutely, but we also want to fund programs that help the middle class, like education, like infrastructure, like scientific research. We are standing up and saying we must do both. That is how this body works. Different people have different views, and we compromise. Maybe there are some on my side who don't want to spend as much on defense as the Republican side does, but it is a compromise. I, for one, appreciate that we need robust defense spending. Sending a CRomnibus to the Senate--one that just funded defense and cut programs crucial to the middle class--would be barreling head-first into a dead end.…”