Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I appreciate so much Senator Coburn's leadership on this very important matter. I think we are at a defining moment. I take offense for those who say we have no interest in extending unemployment insurance. My State has high unemployment. We were doing very well, and it has doubled now from where we were in unemployment. My home area is one of the worst in the State. I am well aware of that. Members of the Senate on this side of the aisle strongly favor extending unemployment insurance and actually extending other benefits, too, such as the doctors fix that we need to do, the COBRA and FMAP and matters of that kind which are in the legislation and we believe should be passed into law. There is just one thing that I would raise, and that is that we want it to be in a way that does not increase, again, the debt because here we go again. Our colleagues passed an amendment, passed the pay-go law a few weeks ago, and within a few days they were violating it. This violates it again. What we need to ask ourselves, then, is how we are going to help people who are in need. Are we going to do it in a responsible way or will we take the easy way out, pass the debt on to our children and grandchildren without the least concern, it seems, about how we are going to pay for it? My colleague just recently said we should call it an emergency.…”