Political Quotes

“Madam President, I thank the Senator from Louisiana. I just have to say I am frustrated and shocked at the reaction of our Republican counterparts who have repeatedly--repeatedly--said to the Senate: You need to pass a budget. We did so under regular order. Everyone will remember the night we spent here until 5 a.m. going through hundreds of amendments--the ones the minority leader just objected to that he wanted guarantees on before we went to conference. We voted on all those amendments. That is what this process is all about. How can I, as Budget chairman, now do what the country is asking us to do, which is to compromise, move forward, and solve our problems rather than managing by crisis? If we cannot go to conference, how are we going to get a budget agreement moving forward? Everyone in this country knows this debate. It has gone on for several years. It went through the supercommittee. It went through an election where people's voices were heard. Now, after just berating us for not having a budget, the Senate Republicans are saying: Well, that did not matter. We do not care if you have a budget. We are just going to sit here. That kind of chaos is exactly what this country does not need when it comes to our fragile economy today and people are trying to get back on their feet. I am ready to go to work.…”