Political Quotes

“I rise today to put the Senate on record on something very important, and that is speaking to the decision by the Obama administration to release five top Taliban leaders from Guantanamo Bay without consulting Congress, as required by law--a decision that I believe endangers the lives of American personnel, not to mention the countless Afghans and the success of our mission in Afghanistan. It has been well reported in the press that this release was done without consulting Congress or congressional leaders on either side of the aisle--Republican or Democrat, by the way. This was in clear violation of a requirement to provide detailed notice to Congress before such action is taken--a requirement that is contained in both an authorization bill called the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act and a spending bill, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, both of which passed Congress with big bipartisan majorities. Both were bipartisan bills, and there was a bipartisan consensus about having this notification. Despite several closed-door briefings and public comments from the administration since we learned of the release, the administration has been unable to provide any legitimate justification for violating the requirement and for failing to consult with Congress. I believe the President's conduct raises a lot of questions-- questions which should concern every Member of this body on both sides of the aisle.…”