Political Quotes

“I would like to speak for 5 or 6 minutes on the cyber bill. Unfortunately, I am here to express my distaste for the manner in which this bill has proceeded. I have an amendment that is not going to be voted on. Let me describe some of the characteristics of that amendment. First of all, it is bipartisan. It is Senator Graham's and my amendment. Second, it has had a hearing. We have had a hearing on it in the Judiciary Committee. Considerable work has gone into it. Third, it has the support of the Department of Justice. It repairs holes in our criminal law for protecting cyber security that we worked on very carefully with the Department of Justice and which we have had testimony in support of from our Department of Justice prosecutors. Last, it was in the queue. It was in the list of amendments that were agreed to when we agreed to go to the floor with this bill. So I don't know how I am going to vote on this bill now. But if you have a bipartisan amendment that has had a hearing, that was in the queue, and that has the support of the Department of Justice and you cannot even get a vote on it, then something has gone wrong in the process. I remember Senator Sessions coming to the floor and wondering how it is that certain Senators appoint themselves masters of the universe and go off in a quiet room someplace and decide that certain amendments will and will not be heard. I am very sympathetic to Senator Sessions' concerns right now.…”