Political Quotes

“before I even start, I do want to compliment the staff--later, I will put all of the names in the Record--who worked weekends and late at night. I remember times when I would get off the phone with them at 11 o'clock at night and 12 midnight. I could go to bed, but they were still there working until 3 or 4 in the morning. Yet, after all of those months of negotiations, the Committee on Appropriations introduced the $1.5 trillion fiscal year 2022 Omnibus appropriations bill. As I will explain, this is the consolidation of 12 annual appropriations bills to fund the Federal Government for the remainder of the fiscal year. Last night, the House passed it on a bipartisan basis. It is now before us, and we need to act on it quickly. Our annual appropriations bills are where we reflect on our national priorities. In total, this bill includes $730 billion in nondefense funding. That is a $46 billion increase over fiscal year 2021. This 6.7-percent increase is the largest in 4 years for nondefense programs. It allows for significant investments in the American people that will expand the middle class. The bill also provides urgent funding for the people of Ukraine as they battle Vladimir Putin's immoral, unprovoked, and brutal invasion-- an invasion which, actually, labels Vladimir Putin as a ``war criminal.'' It is unquestionably in the interest of the American people that the Senate act quickly to pass this bill and send it to President Biden.…”