Political Quotes

“I come to the floor this morning to call for a change in the House calendar. Mr. Speaker, leaders set priorities. They identify the challenges and opportunities that face their organization, then they assess them and put them in the right order, and then they align their organization's calendar to make sure that those top priorities get addressed. That's what the American people rightfully expect of each of us. Overall, our calendar and the priorities of the House are right on track. I'm so proud of the legislation that we've passed that would move America to energy independence and create hundreds of thousands of jobs. But in one very critical area we're seriously off track. Our calendar does not reflect the challenges and the top priorities of our country. Specifically, we're not on track to pass all 12 appropriations bills that fund the Federal Government for 2014. The fact is, we're not even close to passing those bills. And with our current congressional calendar, I cannot possibly see a way that we can pass those bills by September 30, which is the end of the current fiscal year. This is not without consequence. It damages our economy, job creation. It damages our military in a very real way. And ultimately, it hurts hardworking American families. Now, let's look at the status of the 12 bills, and then look at the time that remains on the congressional calendar to debate and pass those bills in time to avoid what's referred to as a continuing resolution.…”