Political Quotes

“I was sitting in my office listening to Senator Reid, meeting with my staff on the bill we have on the floor, and I wanted to explain to the American people what this bill is. This bill was published last night at 9:00. We got it at about 9:45. It spends well over $1 trillion. And I agree with the majority leader, it is important that we pass this bill, but knowing what is in it before you can decide where you would like to try to amend it is asking something of Senators that they can't give. So I understand the majority leader's frustration, but I would also make a couple points. In this bill is $8 billion taken out of the victims' compensation fund. That is not tax money. That is money which criminals have paid into a fund to give restitution to children and women around this country for the harm that has occurred from the crime that has been committed upon them, and we are stealing $8 billion from that fund. In this bill, we are taking it away--not tax dollars but fines and penalties--and we are going to spend it somewhere else. You talk about being for women and children? This bill is exactly the opposite of that. Money that is due them we are not going to let them have. We are going to go spend it somewhere else. So knowing those things are in the bill is one of the reasons we ought to read the bill before we can know whether we are going to offer amendments on it. I would also make one final point.…”