Political Quotes

“I thank the Senator from Maine for her leadership on this important amendment. To me it is unthinkable that Senators would block a vote on the Collins amendment at some point in the process this week because what it does, as the Senator has pointed out, is basically reinforce what the President said himself 22 different times when he said he didn't have the authority. It reaffirms what the Federal District Court held in Brownsville recently, and which 26 States filed suit on. I share the Senator's bewilderment, really, at how on one hand we can be condoning people coming into the country and showing disrespect not only for our immigration laws but compounding that disrespect with these heinous offenses, such as domestic violence, child exploitation, sexual abuse, and child molestation, particularly after we voted unanimously out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a bipartisan basis these anti-trafficking bills the Senator spoke about. I want to close by thanking the Senator and the women of the Senate for leading us toward passage of this anti-trafficking legislation, but to also point out, once again, the complete unacceptability of this idea that somehow we are going to play games by blocking the Collins amendment vote and somehow condoning the same conduct on one hand and on the other hand we are condemning them through the passage of this anti-trafficking legislation. I thank the Senator and the Presiding Officer. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.”