Political Quotes

“At the outset, I want to thank the gentleman from Kentucky, Chairman Rogers, for the cooperative way he has guided this committee. It has truly been a pleasure for me to work with him and his staff. As we all know, Mr. Speaker, funding to keep the government operating expires at midnight tonight. It is my sincere hope that we can avoid the antics of last year, when a vocal minority in this body was able to hold the entire government hostage for reasons they couldn't articulate. It wasn't fair to the American people, and I hope we never have to go through it again. Throughout this process, my goal has been to avoid another costly shutdown and make adequate investments to grow the economy, enhance our security, and protect the most vulnerable among us. I remain disappointed, Mr. Speaker, that the House majority decided to leave out the agreement reached on the Department of Homeland Security. The decision reflects their political calculation on immigration policy. I believe my chairman was right when he rebuffed efforts to restrict the President's executive orders on immigration on a must-pass appropriations bill. But forcing these important agencies--Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Secret Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration--into a 2-month continuing resolution was unnecessary and unfortunate.…”