Political Quotes

“I think this amendment is somewhat inappropriate, and I say that at my own peril. I have great respect for the chairman of the Commerce Committee. He is a wise man, far wiser than I. He has been here for many, many years. He knows how to make a point. I think he has made it. I'm aware that this appointment is somewhat controversial, but the best way to get the Social Security Administration to perform as the Congress wishes is to pass laws and to bring them in for oversight hearings. I don't think that a rifle-shot cutting of one individual's salary is the right way to proceed. I'm not intimately familiar in this case, but this type of amendment does cause me some pause. I can't recall in my years here any time when an amendment like this passed, although the chairman, who has been here far longer than I, could probably cite them. If we want to deal with this issue of recess appointment, let's do so in an authorizing bill and not in this manner. And for that reason, I would urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment.”