Political Quotes

“I listened carefully to my colleague from Alaska as he objected, and I just want to add a couple of comments in response. I had a chance to share with him that there was a Wisconsin conflict between the Department of Defense and the Department of Interior, something that when I was a Member of the House of Representatives I worked on for 14 years and could not get it shaken loose--finger pointing, finger pointing. And then I had the honor of being elected to the U.S. Senate, where we have the power to place holds on nominees. And I had the opportunity, and took advantage of that opportunity, to place a hold on a nominee who was absolutely in the position to resolve the issue. And it is a powerful tool. In this case, the person who is being held could be doing so much to advance and grow our defense industrial base and help to improve our national security and resiliency. And this particular person is not in a position to, if confirmed, resolve the issue that I heard my colleague describe. So I am disappointed that we cannot move ahead with this confirmation at this time. I understand the power of the hold, but it is much more powerful when the person being held is also in a position to resolve the issue. And with that, I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.”