Political Quotes

“I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, 15 days after the shutdown began, the House is finally considering a bill to reopen the government and avoid the economic calamity that could have ensued if the United States defaulted on its debt. Frankly, it is disappointing that Republicans have dangerously put our economy and American families at such great risk. 800,000 Federal workers have been furloughed. Families that depend on critical services--from disaster aid to nutrition assistance--have been left in the cold. Billions in economic activity have been lost. Fitch Ratings placed the United States, the United States of America, on ``rating watch negative'' due to political brinkmanship. Despite clear opposition from the American people, many Republicans, it is hard to believe, are still poised to oppose this short-term bill tonight to reopen government, pay America's bills, and negotiate a reasonable budget agreement for 2014. Congress, let's remember, has already enacted $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction measures since 2010. Looming across-the-board sequester cuts threaten all our priorities, from job creation to Head Start to military readiness and everything in between. For example, if we do not act before January 15, defense spending will be cut by approximately $20 billion below 2013 levels, and we could jeopardize up to 1.6 million American jobs over the next year.…”