Political Quotes

“Mr. President, we have an incredibly important opportunity to do something so basic, so commonsense to begin restoring the faith and trust that the American people have in this institution. We have a responsibility to do it right, to show without question, without any ambiguity, that all Members of Congress, their staffs, and Federal employees play by the exact same rules as everyday Americans. The American people deserve to know their lawmakers' only interest is in what is best for the country, not their financial interest. Members of Congress, their families, their staffs, and Federal employees should not be able to gain any personal profit from information they have access to that ordinary Americans do not--whether it is trading stock or making inside real estate deals. It is simply not right. Nobody should be above the rules. The commonsense bill before us would finally codify this principle into law, as it should be. Chairman Lieberman, Ranking Member Collins, Senator Brown of Massachusetts, and their committee members and staffs have crafted a very strong bipartisan bill with teeth that is narrowly tailored and targeted to ensure that we achieve this very common goal. Because of this bipartisan work, last night this Chamber came together in what has become nearly an unprecedented fashion these days and voted almost unanimously to begin debate on this sorely needed legislation. As we continue to debate, I urge my colleagues to focus on the specific task at hand.…”