Political Quotes

“I think that is a reasonable question to ask. There are a number of points that are relevant. No. 1, there is a considerable history of the debt ceiling being raised through reconciliation, and, indeed, it has been done in 1986, 1990, 1993, and in 1997. So the danger that we are acting to prevent is not a hypothetical danger, it is a danger that has proven accurate. Those who say we will simply trust the House--the House Members were elected to represent their constituents, and each of the 435 Members of the House has an obligation to exercise their best judgment to represent their constituents. Whatever they choose to do--and I would note a number of Members of House leadership have publicly on the record suggested they might well be amenable to raising the debt ceiling through reconciliation. So given their public statements, the scenario we are raising is a possibility that the House leadership has suggested may well be on the table. But more fundamentally, regardless of what the House chooses to do, the Senator from Utah has an obligation to the 3 million citizens of Utah to represent their views. I don't think it would be responsible for him to give up his very eloquent voice or for me to give up my voice or for any of us to give up the voice of the citizens we are representing. I am reminded of meeting an individual at a gathering of Republican women back in Texas about a month ago, and this individual was a veteran who had fought in World War II.…”