Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I recognize that a rhythm has developed here with Republicans voting one way by rote, Democrats perhaps voting another, and I recognize we have come forward with our most favorite issues and I confess and concede that this is one of mine. But the gravamen of my argument does not have to do with the substance and the considerable merits of this issue. I am aware that no issue has more bipartisan support, perhaps, in the 104th Congress than collecting child support from deadbeat parents. For the women of the Congress especially, there has been painstaking, grueling work that is going to culminate, hopefully next week, in the introduction of the Child Support Responsibility Act, which indeed will create a new mandate. But I am not at the moment arguing the merits, the very considerable merits, here. I myself put in an amendment and support this amendment, which is even more inclusive than my own. But, Mr. Chairman, as a technical matter, child support does not fit the framework of this bill. Child support is, in our country, exclusively a matter of family law or State law. The unfunded mandate in this case is on the Federal Government to help the States with a State law function, collecting child support from their own citizens to pay to support their own children. This is not Federal law. This is not a Federal function.”