Political Quotes

“I want to thank Senator Manchin, certainly for putting this colloquy together. I want to thank Senator Portman of Ohio, Senator Donnelly of Indiana, and Senator Brown of Ohio. We are deeply affected by this, and the facts bear out that we can't wait. We talk about emergencies, and what we have on the floor is the emerging bankruptcy of Puerto Rico. I think all of us have expressed deep empathy and sympathy for Puerto Rico and the situation that they are in, and we appreciate the bipartisan effort to find a solution. But at the same time, we need our voices to be heard louder and clearer. My voice is that I cannot vote for cloture on Puerto Rico when we have stranded and are stranding our hardworking coal miners and the retirees who are upcoming. You have to look at what is at stake here. We heard the numbers-- 21,000 Americans stand to lose their health care at the end of the year. By July 15, some are going to lose their health care in 90 days. That is way before the end of the year. You often hear the trite slogan ``promises made, promises kept.'' This was a promise that was made. This is the hard work of American coal miners who knew going in when they started to work in the mines that they were difficult and dangerous jobs. The question by the spouse was, Will my husband make it back today from the mines? They had a promise, and that is why a lot of them pursued and went forth in dangerous conditions to provide for their families and power the country.…”