Political Quotes

“I offer this amendment today on behalf of myself and Senator Grassley of Iowa. Mr. President, one of the most significant personal powers of a U.S. Senator is the power to effectively block the consideration of a bill or nomination from coming to the floor of the U.S. Senate. This power has become known as putting a ``hold'' on a measure or bill that a Senator opposes. It is a power that a U.S. Senator can exercise in secret. The name of the Senator placing a hold on Senate business is now held confidentially by party leadership. This extraordinary power was once used rarely by Senators, usually as a matter of common courtesy. In the last 20 years, however, the hold has become a special tool for influence and leverage. It is especially valuable at this time--at a time when we are moving toward the end of the session--because it allows a Senator, secretly, to exercise an enormous amount of clout over a matter when time is short. Mr. President, the record is replete with statements of Members of this body who have indicated that there have been abuses of the hold, and that this is a procedure that has completely gotten out of hand.”