Political Quotes

“Madam President, reserving the right to object, I would like to explain briefly the overall situation. We are not objecting to budget. We are not objecting to conference. We just want the debt limit left out. It is a separate issue that warrants its own debate. It is a simple request: no backroom deals on the debt limit. I would like to focus on one particular argument we have heard from the other side. Critics argue that conference committees are transparent and that they don't involve backroom deals. If this were ever the case, today it is not. The purpose of conference committees is to reconcile differences in similar bills passed by the House and by the Senate. It is not the only way, but it is one way. In theory, conference committees are an open, accountable, and trustworthy means of resolving bicameral differences. But in recent years, the conference process--such as so much else in this town and in this Chamber--has become corrupted. Today, conference committees are just another mechanism to exclude the American people from the legislative process. Secret closed doors, they usually don't even begin until the deal is already completed, as a practical matter. Speaker Boehner himself said recently: We don't typically go to conference until such time that they are well on their way. A recent example was the conference last year on the highway bill. The Senate passed its bill in March. The House passed its version in April.…”