Political Quotes

“Thank you. I am struck by your comment that in all previous situations, the rules have been modified by a change in the rules that has been done through the rules process because--I would encourage you to read up on your Senate history--it is just not the case. In fact, under Senator Byrd's leadership, nine times this Chamber changed the interpretation of existing rules, and they didn't do it through a formal rules change process. They did it with an interpretation of the Chair being sustained or by reversing the interpretation of the Chair. And you have been here when a nuclear option modified the rules. Your party led the effort to change the requirement for closing debate on the Supreme Court. And you have been here--or I think you were here; your colleagues were here--when they changed the rule, not by changing the rule formally but by reinterpreting it through a nuclear option, in regard to decreasing the number of hours for debate on district judges. It also goes back to the fact that your team changed the rules, without going through the formal rule process, on how reconciliation is done in order to be able to do tax cuts for the rich. And then Kent Conrad, on our side, advocated the change back, and your side, in preparation for the Trump tax cuts in 2017, changed the rule again. So at least let us understand that both sides--Democrats and Republicans--have resorted to reinterpreting the rules on various occasions.…”