Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the amendment that is now pending, for which we have a cloture motion, is what we are going to try to continue to work on and hope that we can come to a consensus on the issue of the perimeter rule that has caused so much of this bill to be held up. This is a good bill. This is a bill that is going to give America the opportunity to start the next generation of air traffic control systems. It is a bill that we must begin now if we are going to go to a satellite-based system which will free airspace and make our air system work more efficiently for aircraft in the air. It has safety provisions. It has consumer protection provisions. It is so important that we also accommodate the needs of all of our country, the constituents we have, to have an airport system that works--especially in the Washington area. We will be able to debate this amendment as we go through the next few days. We are waiting for other amendments to also be debated on the floor. But I have stood very firm in saying we need a bipartisan solution to access to the Nation's airport in Washington, DC. It is located in Virginia, but it is the Washington, DC-near airport, and all of the airports in this area now have a robust business. It is time for us to deal with this in a rational, bipartisan, and responsible way. That is what Senator Rockefeller and I have attempted to do, and we will continue to do so. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER.…”