Political Quotes

“I thank the ranking member for his hard work on this arduous project, this omnibus bill. I also want to extend my thanks to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, Chair DeLauro and Chair Roybal-Allard, for their hard work. We disagree with many of the things that the majority has put forth in this, but we in the minority have gotten a lot of key wins for the American people in this bill. Coming over, Mr. Speaker, tonight on a cold, damp Washington evening, I was thinking about what I would say. This is a job well done. I rise in support of this bill. This is not the bill that I would have written. This is certainly not the bill that the majority would have written. Within this beltway, within this town, we have a dialect. We have a Washington-speak sometimes that should and does befuddle the American people. So, tonight is time for straight talk. Straight talk means that the needs of our Nation, the needs of the United States of America, change on an annual basis. The world doesn't stay the same. A few weeks ago, the world changed for the worse when Russia invaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine. Things change. Priorities change. Funding needs change. That is why, as appropriators, we come together every year and, ideally, address the Nation's changing needs--whether in defense; education; Department of Energy; and, in my case, homeland security--to address the needs of the American people.…”