Political Quotes

“I thank Ranking Member Olver, the gentleman from Massachusetts, for recognizing me today. First, I would like to share my appreciation for all of the work that Congressman Olver has dedicated his life to throughout his two-decade- long career with intelligence, integrity, and honor. More recently, I would like to take a moment to recognize the work he has done the past 4 years as both chair and ranking member of the very productive, bipartisan Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee. His presence, his experience, his moderation, his knowledge, his collegiality, and his genius will certainly be missed, and we thank him for his phenomenal service to our country. With that, I applaud the work that both he and Chairman Latham have done with the subcommittee FY 2013 legislation. Unfortunately, their sense of necessary bipartisanship does not extend to the leadership of this House. I must reference the beginning of the appropriations process and the leadership's misguided decision to undermine the Budget Control Act of 2011. The result of our negotiations last summer created a bipartisan agreement, with discretionary programs having a spending cap of $1.047 trillion. However, the Republican leadership reneged on that deal, leaving us with $19 billion less for discretionary programs essential for the American public and the American economy during this crucial moment of economic recovery.…”