Political Quotes

“Mr. President, there has been much debate over the past year regarding ``secret holds'' stalling the consideration of presidential appointments or slowing expedited passage of legislation by the Senate. Lost in this discussion has been an issue that should be a far greater concern for taxpayers--``secret spending.'' This body routinely attempts to pass hundreds of bills costing tens of billions of dollars or more in secret without debate, votes, or amendments. It does so using an unofficial process not found in Senate rule books known as the ``hotline.'' The U.S. Senate is often referred to as ``the world's greatest deliberative body.'' This is because Senate rules grant each of the Senate's 100 members rights that cannot be overridden by a simple majority, including the right to require debate before a bill is considered or passed. Yet, the Senate practice known as the ``hotline'' often prevents and precludes debate. In fact, Senators often do not even read the bills being passed using the hotline. The term ``hotline'' or practice of ``hotlining'' bills does not appear in the Senate's official rules, but this procedure is utilized nearly every day the Senate is in session. A hotline is an informal term for an alert sent to members of the Senate giving notice of a proposed agreement to allow a bill or resolution to be approved by the Senate without debate or amendment.…”