Political Quotes

“--and I welcome the distinguished Presiding Officer, who has probably presided before, but this is the first time I have been on the floor and have seen him preside. I realize he cannot respond, but I welcome him to the Senate. Government Funding Mr. President, for 26 days, President Trump has held funding for our Federal Government hostage, using it as leverage to force Congress to provide $5.7 billion to build his ill-conceived, expensive, and unfortunately totally ineffective wall on the southern border. We knew this was coming because for months during the campaign, he riled up his base with chants of ``Build the wall. Build the wall.'' He invented a crisis at the southern border and then told supporters that only he could solve it. He gave his word over and over again that Mexico would pay for the wall so American taxpayers would not have to. That was over 2 years ago, and I think he is feeling the pressure now as he shutters himself in the White House. Having failed to convince both Republicans and Democrats in Congress that the campaign slogan was actually good policy and having failed, as we all knew, to get Mexico to pay for the wall, he turns to a negotiation tactic that he seems to have mastered--bullying. He has shut down the government of the most powerful Nation in the world, making us a laughing stock around the rest of the world, and he says he will keep us shut down until he gets what he wants. It is the height of irresponsibility.…”