Political Quotes

“yesterday, Appropriations Chair Patty Murray and Vice Chair Susan Collins announced they are ready to move ahead with the first three appropriations bills here on the Senate floor: MILCON-VA, Agriculture, and Transportation HUD. This is extremely good news for what has already been a fruitful and bipartisan Senate appropriations process. Chair and Vice Chair Murray and Collins have done an outstanding job negotiating this difficult work, so I thank them, as well as my other colleagues, particularly those on Appropriations, on both sides of the aisle. To keep the bipartisan momentum alive, I will file cloture on this package today, with a plan to hold our first vote early next week. The Senate appropriations process is a lesson in how governing should work. All 12 appropriations bills have been passed with bipartisan support through regular order. Nine of them were either unanimous or just had one ``no'' vote. That doesn't mean the parties have to agree on everything--we know that won't happen. But what it means is that our disagreements have not paralyzed the process. That is the mark of good governance. Of course, the work is far from over. When the House gavels back into session next week, time will be short for both parties in both Chambers to unite around a plan to keep the government open beyond September 30. There is only one way--one way--that this will happen: through bipartisanship.…”