Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to compliment Congressman Serrano for his creative idea to allow Members to administer the oath of allegiance to individuals being naturalized as citizens. H.R. 4862 gives Members of Congress the ability to play a significant role in the naturalization ceremony, which can be and should be an inspiring experience for those becoming U.S. citizens. Citizenship is the highest honor our Nation can bestow and naturalization ceremonies give us the opportunity to honor individuals who have come to contribute to America. Americans who take the oath of allegiance know the importance of swearing to ``support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic.'' It is a solemn, yet joyful and patriotic, experience. I appreciate the majority leader and Congressman Serrano making some improvements to the initial bill. The revised language clarifies that Members, whether Representatives or Senators, can only administer the oath to individuals from their own congressional district or, in the case of Senators, from their own State. In order to prevent this privilege from being used for political purposes, no Member can administer the oath of allegiance during the 90 days prior to any election in which that Member is a candidate. The 90- day period parallels the House rules that prohibit House-funded mailings 90 days before an election.…”