Political Quotes

“I am here to speak about something else, but let me take just a moment and thank my chairman for what he has done. I had the experience of serving on the HELP Committee with Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray when we did the Education bill last year. Education is nearly as fraught a topic politically around here as healthcare is, and what we saw in a thoughtful, regular-order process that was developed under Chairman Alexander's leadership was a very considerable piece of work with real effect. Sometimes we agree on something on both sides of the aisle in this body because there is nothing to it. It is ``National Peaches Week'' or something, and everyone votes for that. But when it is something big and something consequential, that is where difficulties begin to emerge, and what the chairman was able to work in the committee was something big and something consequential on healthcare. To the end of my days in the Senate, I am going to remember that closing vote, when the clerk of the committee called the roll, and every single member of the HELP Committee voted in favor of the measure. It came out of the committee unanimously, and with that burst of energy, it came through the floor fine, and it passed the House without too many changes. It was just a remarkable piece of work.…”