Political Quotes

“Madam President, reserving the right to object, and I won't object, let me use this occasion to say to the chairman of the Judiciary Committee how much I appreciate his leadership and cooperation. Obviously, Senator McConnell, Senator Leahy, and I are all cosponsors of the bigger piece of legislation, the Justice for All Act. I share Senator Leahy's desire--I am sure shared by the Republican leader--that we pass that today. But since we can't do that, and since we are engaged in the art of the possible, this is a good outcome--not just for Debbie Smith, who, as we have all heard, has been a tireless advocate for testing this backlog of rape kits, which holds extraordinary power to both identify the perpetrators in sexual assaults and exonerate people who are not implicated by a DNA test, but as we know, we have had a huge backlog, and the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act renewal is bipartisan legislation that will provide funds for law enforcement officials to deal with the national scandal, which the rape kit backlog is. Amidst the frustration we all experience in the Senate from time to time, this is good news and this represents progress. So I will agree with the unanimous consent request. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.”