Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the situation involving the need for a budget and the situation involving the need to raise the debt limit for the United States is getting more and more crucial, it seems, by the hour. I have been a firm and consistent critic of this idea that has been developing the last several years in the Congress that a few people meet in closed, secret meetings and somehow reach a decision that I am supposed to assume is good and decent and ought to be confirmed by a vote here in the Senate. I feel that there are 100 Senators--and some a lot smarter and more capable than I--but I feel a personal sense of obligation and duty to ensure that when I vote on an important piece of legislation my constituents care about, that I know what is in it and that I understand what is in it, and it is hard to know. When you have a bill that comes out that proposes to have changes in the trillions of dollars, involving Federal spending for a decade, in a budget or some other fashion, it requires us to be careful about that. So I would express again my dissatisfaction and belief that this Senate--not the House--has failed in its duty to participate in an open process concerning our budget. The House of Representatives did. The Republican House promised to have open hearings. They had a bill on the floor--a budget. They passed it within the time required--by April 15. It completely changed the debt trajectory of America and put us on sound footing.…”