Political Quotes

“I want to talk about an important matter and that is about an amendment that I intended to offer. It may or may not have been in order, but I want to discuss it on the floor now. It is the closing of E Street. It remains closed even though the Secret Service signed off on a report recommending that it be open, a report of the National Capitol Planning Commission. There is no safety or security issue. There is an 800-foot setback from the back of the White House. It is closed for one and only one reason, and that is when the Secret Service closes something, it wants to always keep it closed. The Secret Service wanted to keep National Airport closed. Only because the entire region fought back is National Airport open. The Secret Service wanted to close Pennsylvania Avenue ever since the Eisenhower administration. It succeeded after Oklahoma City. We are not asking that Pennsylvania be reopened, but we cannot afford to see E Street remain closed; and I will say why in a few minutes.”