Political Quotes

“Madam President, there is a lot of partisan squabbling that goes on around here. We all know that. Some of it is to be expected. After all, our parties have real disagreements about policy and the direction in which we think the country should go. But there are a few issues that are too important to get caught up in the typical partisan back-and-forth--a few fundamental responsibilities that we must fulfill as a governing body. One of those responsibilities where there has always been bipartisan agreement has been disaster relief. Hurricanes, fires, and floods don't hit only Republicans or only Democrats. They hit Americans of all stripes. We must come together to provide relief for everybody. After holding up disaster relief on behalf of the President, who demanded we shortchange Puerto Rico, Republicans finally came around a few weeks ago and agreed with a disaster relief bill that would provide relief to everyone. Let me repeat. We have an agreement right now on where and how to provide relief for Americans in the Midwest, in the South, in the West, and in the Territories. Chairman Shelby and Vice Chairman Leahy have worked in good faith to reach that compromise. The House will accept it. Chairman Lowey and Ranking Member Granger also have agreed to this disaster relief package. So there is a package of disaster relief that is ready to go. Unfortunately, that agreement has become entangled with extraneous issues.…”