Political Quotes

“Madam President, it is good to follow my good friend, the chairman of the Committee on Rules and Administration, on which I am ranking member. I don't agree with him, but he is a fine man. Now, I rise to dispel attempts by the other side of the aisle to dodge responsibility for funding the Department of Homeland Security in a responsible way. Here is what is happening. The rightwing of the Republican Party is risking a Department of Homeland Security shutdown to get their way on immigration. They are saying: Take our hard-right stance on immigration or we won't fund national security. Most Americans don't agree with that view. Most Americans are for a rational immigration policy. A large majority in this body--bipartisan, led by Senator McCain and myself--voted on that in 2013. But we have a small group, led by the junior Senator from Texas, who say: It is our way or we are going to shut down one of the premier agencies dedicated to our security. As I said when I engaged in a colloquy with my good friend from Texas, our Republican colleagues have the majority. They can debate immigration any time they want. In fact, we welcome that debate. We think the American people are on our side. We are willing to have that debate. We are eager to have that debate but not with a gun put to the head not only of us but of the American people.…”