Political Quotes

“we, of course, will take a careful look at this amendment. It is on a subject of which this Senator is well aware, as a member of the Commerce Committee, of which the Senator from South Dakota is chairman. It does address a very real need. On the other hand, Mr. President, it obviously has nothing to do with an appropriations bill for the Department of Interior and related agencies. The distinguished senior Senator from West Virginia and I have, as a policy, determined that we will not be friendly toward amendments which are entirely nongermane or entirely nonrelevant to issues before this bill. If we do, if amendments like this begin to pass, it is almost certain that the bill itself will be taken down. The sponsors of the amendments likely will not be successful in reaching their policy goals, and we will have frustrated the appropriations process. So I express the hope, and subject to what I hear from the distinguished Senator from West Virginia, that the Senator from South Dakota will be able to make a very important point, as he has, and as he has done eloquently, without opening up this bill in a way that has frustrated and perhaps destroyed some other appropriations bills, including the one that preceded this as a matter of debate. With that, as we do not have any votes to take place today, I suggest that we set the amendment aside and move forward to another subject.”