Political Quotes

“Madam President, I just wish to talk for a moment. I have heard a lot from my constituents that they are very tired of the dysfunction in Washington, DC. They are tired of political gridlock that impacts their businesses, their children's schools, and their paychecks. After spending last week with families and businesses that are impacted by sequestration in my home State of Washington, I know this is especially true right now. When I became chair of the Senate Budget Committee, I said I hoped Democrats and Republicans would be able to work together to end the cycle of governing from crisis to crisis and the attempts to negotiate budget policy through brinkmanship, which we have seen far too much of in recent years. I believe this goal is just as important today--and is, in fact, more attainable--but we need Republicans to meet us at the table and proceed to conference under regular order. We are at a unique moment in our debate about the country's fiscal and economic challenges. Following the 2 years that the bipartisan Budget Control Act took the place of a congressional budget, the Senate returned to regular order this year and we passed a budget resolution. The House has also passed their budget, and the President weighed in with a proposal for his path going forward. We now have an opportunity to move through regular order to try to get a bipartisan budget agreement, and we should seize it.…”