Senate Quotations | Page 2

When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberty; because apprehensions may arise, lest the same monarch or senate should enact tyrannical laws, to execute them in a tyrannical manner.

The only institution that Minnesota Republicans are truly interested in preserving is their slipping grasp on statewide offices. Minnesota Republicans have spent the past month barn-storming the state in an attempt to build support against Democrats in the State Senate who have repeatedly kept this amendment off the ballot in favor of focusing on real issues facing Minnesotan families. Republicans continue their noisy death rattle knowing that polls show that this is their last opportunity to place this amendment on the ballot before they lose the Governorship and State House to Democrats this fall.

The primary problem is that the Senate bill does not build a stadium. The people of Minnesota should ask their Senators how this bill would get the job done." ()

When you combine this speech with the raids of last week and the talk in the Senate of adding enforcement money to the supplemental, they're saying you can enforce the border and have a guest worker program at the same time, in tandem.

When this deal first surfaced late Thursday, the business community was just shocked. Instantly, if not rather simultaneously, people started making calls to the Senate leadership, to the staff of the Senate Finance Committee. It was the wholesalers, the manufacturers, the mass retailers.

We're glad that the funds are in there and based on discussions with Senate leaders, I think they will remain.

Mac is what I call the new Chrysler Corporation, ... You may have watched him in the Senate (race). He is nothing like that. He has put together a team. He is totally focused on being a challenger, working hard, raising money and being out there everyday.

Let's let the Senate run this and not the gun lobbies run this Senate chamber.

Last year was the last best chance for quite a while. If the Republicans lose any Senate seats this fall, as they well might, they will need to wait until they have a Senate majority willing to move this again.

Many members of the House and Senate are unable to provide much-needed aid to their affected constituents because of the loss of personal and office resources, ... The catastrophic events resulting from Hurricane Katrina require that we do all we can to assist our colleagues and their constituents.

Many changes can be expected to be made to the legislation during the Senate floor debate. Sen. Lugar hopes the Senate will consider a consensus bill that updates immigration policy in a comprehensive way.

Sen. Jeffords' decision now produces some changes, ... The historic 50-50 Senate now becomes history. This will be America's first 50-49-1 Senate.

Sen. Durbin works seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The Senate is really his life.

Sen. Burns feels that a minority of U.S. senators used a parliamentary trick to keep a bill from going to the Senate floor. This vote does not affect the federal budget.

Sen. Thomas' diligence and energy will be missed in the Senate chambers and I wish he and his family the best.

Senate was great this year, we had constant membership to almost full capacity through the whole year. Compared to last year, the attendance improvements were great.

Senate rules to put items that we believe should be heard by the Senate on the agenda.

Senate members have not seen this bill. There has been no public hearing on it. The public has no idea what's in it. The entire deal is being written behind closed doors. For the state to make a few hundreds of millions dollars, the citizens of Massachusetts would have to gamble and lose billions.

Senate leaders warned President George W. Bush on Wednesday that his next nominee to the Supreme Court will likely face a far more contentious confirmation battle than John Roberts, who is poised to become U.S. chief justice.

Senate Bill 7 brought about some really good changes, where you were only appointed to cases for which you were qualified. But then what we saw was that an abundance of appeals were going to the same one or two people that the judges liked for some reason, or whatever, and some defendants were falling through the cracks. Cost-effectiveness was an issue, but my big concern was that due process be provided for these defendants.

Sen. Allard testified in front of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee last year that a number of hurdles have to be cleared before he could support this legislation, including putting it to a statewide referendum. The issue is larger than just Pueblo County.

She would be better off politically not making a commitment that she wouldn't run for president if she were re-elected, ... Clearly, if (her Senate race) were going to be a squeaker, she'd better give a lot of thought to how she responds to that. But, if, as it appears, she's going to have a pretty easy time of it, why put herself in a position of looking hypocritical or devious?

On any given vote, on any given day, a smart senator who has taken a bold or controversial position can reach far more media outlets between the elevator and the Senate chamber than he or she could garner in a full press conference back home.

Since the late 1920s Texas has almost consistently had a member of the high leadership in either the House or Senate or both. We simply don't have that anymore.

She may not be sitting in the Senate but she's still standing for us.

Most of the Senate and Assembly education committees are wholly owned subsidiaries of the California teachers union, ... Any bill they oppose dies.

mount a national crusade against the senate elections.

McCoy went back before the Senate in Washington, D.C., and testified in front of the Senate subcommittee and pushed for a federal anti-freeze law.

Menendez has the experience and leadership positions in Washington already. Menendez in the Senate is also helpful to the national Democratic Party, who want someone strong in there.

My job in the Senate is not just to give speeches and do interviews, it's to solve problems.

No decision has been made regarding a Senate Judiciary Committee rule that permits any committee member to request a one-week postponement of a committee vote.

Of course I am for stopping violence against women. It is unfortunate that the Senate Democrats are making the current re-authorization of Violence Against Women bill into a political football. The Republicans are offering an improved version of the reauthorization bill and I want to review it.

No one is anywhere near 60, and any measure in the Senate that is even remotely controversial now require you to get 60, not just 51, ... So I think just as the situation is now, it will require bipartisan cooperation to advance any agenda." ()

One way that we might encourage others to come forth with potential savings is to demonstrate that we ourselves are willing to forgo this COLA, ... It's a gesture that members of the Senate ought to make.

My concern is the integrity of the process, respect for the Senate and the subcommittee. So it's really important to clear the air, to find out what folks knew and when they knew it.

My decision not to run for the U.S. Senate is based on my commitment to achieve a Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, and my desire to become the next chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

More importantly, Arroyo and her defenders must stop attacking the Senate for its probes and allow the truth to come out.

Montana is a cheap seat in terms of U.S. Senate races. So there is going to be a tremendous amount of third-party money in this race and it is going to make this race competitive, there is no doubt about that.

No one thought that the Senate would ever approve witnesses in this case. It goes to show that there's a lot of ebb and flow, a lot of shifts in momentum as people look at the evidence and weigh it and make decisions, and so I think today's vote shows the strength of the managers' case.

Now that this legislation has passed the House, I look forward to the vote in the Senate that will bring us to Conference, where we can resolve any outstanding issues and make this postal reform reality - for the Postal Service and for all Americans.

Now that the president has said he will nominate Judge Roberts as chief justice, the stakes are higher, ... The Senate must be vigilant in considering this nomination.

Right now, if I had to bet would the Democrats take the House and Senate back, I'd say no. But are the odds a heck of a lot better than they were three months ago or six months ago? Heck, yes.

Richard is a senior member of the House's Transportation Committee, ... I was on a relevant Senate committee. We were both named to the joint legislative committee which developed the final version of the bill. If not for Richard's leadership, a lot of this wouldn't have gotten done.

On the federal front, we achieved an historical win with the House passage of the bill updating the Endangered Species Act, and we will continue to work with the Senate as they take this issue up this year. In addition, we will continue to bring attention to the permanent repeal of the Death Tax.

One of the most critical issues facing agriculture right now is the immigration reform that was just taken up by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. The House passed an immigration bill at the end of 2005 that could be very harmful to agriculture.

one of the more controversial and colorful figures in Texas. His company has been fined hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years for violating state environmental laws. And a decade ago, Pilgrim appeared on the floor of the state Senate dispensing $10,000 checks to lawmakers as they debated a workers compensation bill.

One of the highest-ranking union officers in the state is given a half-million-dollar gift by a sitting U.S. senator. That is precisely the type of transaction the Senate wants to know about.

I worked in the Senate in the 1970s. I worked for the Labor, Public Welfare Committee, and we had Ted Kennedy and my old boss, Bill Hathaway, and Walter Mondale.

If we get too much of that, we'll go before the American people and the United States Senate and suggest we need an extension (in the hearings.) And those same people, I'm sure, would not want an extension,

If we're relying on a German judge about what our Constitution means, no president accountable to the people appointed that judge and no Senate accountable to the people confirmed that judge. And yet, he's playing a role in shaping the law that binds the people in this country.

If we're relying on a decision from a German judge about what our Constitution means, no president accountable to the people appointed that judge and no Senate accountable to the people confirmed that judge. And yet he's playing a role in shaping the law that binds the people in this country. I think that's a concern that has to be addressed.

If the Senate were to reject the treaty, then it would be highly publicized worldwide. It would be an open excuse for countries like India and Pakistan to continue nuclear testing which I think is very undesirable, destabilizing that area of the world,

If the Senate passes it, we'll pass it.

If the Senate oversight committees are either unwilling or unable to tackle the tough but necessary questions associated with detention, interrogation or rendition of prisoners, then we should step aside -- regrettably, if we have to -- and let the work be done by others unfettered by other considerations,

If the Senate does go ahead and pass something that looks like amnesty, they will never get this passed in the House.

If the Senate cannot ease off the executive branch, it can at least have pity on the people.

If the Senate believes that the American public supports any of the proposals for drastic increases in legal immigration and amnesty, no matter how they want to label it, they need to use to the Easter break to go home and listen to what their constituents really want.

I grew up in a family that nearly lost everything, but I ended up in the United States Senate because I grew up in an America that invested in kids like me and built a real future for us.

I don't have Bob Torricelli's experience. I haven't had my office raided by the F.B.I. I don't have the Senate ethics committee plowing through a file from the U.S. attorney's office.

I didn't notice the Senate wanting to put the House bill that we passed, twice, on their calendar, unchanged, and have no amendments on it,

I did not lie under oath in front of the Senate committee.

I don't anticipate the Senate will leave it intact.

I am disappointed that the Senate would increase the number of foreign high-tech workers without including any safeguards for American workers.

I am delighted that the senate and the world council have held that way too.

I am a junior senator, ninety-fifth on the seniority list, and so by Senate standards, my office in the Russell Senate Office Building is less than splendid.

I am going to recommend that the Senate engage in a hearing, and or hearings with respect to the use of force.

I believe there was a pretty clear understanding in the Senate Education meeting that public hearings would be held before making any decision about changing the date of the test. To do this to citizens completely undermines the credibility of the process.

I believe that the leadership in the Senate needs to know what contingency plans there are in case of an emergency. I don't think that is too much to ask. I feel as a result of the briefing I was given today, I now know. I will leave it at that,

I believe that I acted properly in carrying out my duties as a member of the Senate in relation to Judge Ronnie White,

I am proud to represent the people of my senate district and I want them to be proud of me. I ask for your support and prayers as I battle this disease.

I am supportive of working on repealing the estate tax, but now is not the appropriate time. The nation is calling out for the Senate to act to help those in need.

I am stunned that less than one month after the worst school shooting in our nation's history, the Senate has decided to make it easier for felons, fugitives, and other prohibited purchasers to buy guns,

Bush wants the economy to be in vibrant shape by then. He's not going to be able to say that a recalcitrant Democratic-controlled Senate screwed this up, after all.

I have a hard time seeing the balance in the Senate bill because it unilaterally disarms one side. And I think there are some inherent flaws, some constitutional flaws in the Senate bill,

I have been loyal to our Republican leaders here in Florida and in our nation's capital - from Jeb Bush to President George Bush. ... And I have been loyal to the Republican Party and my constituents who elected me to work tirelessly for their best interest. Today I am asking you to return that same loyalty to me by helping fund my U.S. Senate campaign.

I have limited expectations for both the House and Senate ethics committees.

I firmly believe that to represent New York in the Senate you really need to have a great deal of knowledge about our state ... You have to love it -- and you have to have demonstrated that over a long period of time,

I feel strongly that the president did not speak the truth...and in my judgment it had to go over to the Senate. But I still feel the Senate which can look at and may want to go for a full trial should at least take this opportunity to look at the possibilities of censure and what can be done to bring this to a close.

I can't see the House acting in any way on the Senate, and I can't see the Senate acting in any way on the House.

If ordinary citizens could use their Senate seats to receive $80 million in state contracts, we could all afford to put $2 million into our campaigns.

Getting WRDA to the Senate floor for a vote is a high priority, ... This bill is bipartisan, it's widely supported and it's an urgent need that we have to satisfy.

Frankly, we are quite surprised that the Senate may make time to even consider this petition, ... We can hardly think of a worse time to be doing so.

If a minister can lead the Senate in prayer every day... what is so wrong with beginning every day of school with an ecumenical prayer?

I don't underestimate the uphill battle that we face, but my hope is that a strong vote in the Senate will give us momentum in the House. The fact is that this money is from next year rather than new spending will also help.

For most governors, we find the United States Senate or the United States Congress very frustrating at the slow pace in which they act. There doesn't seem to be a lot of discipline and organization to what they do.

Given the president's approval rating these days, and with one-third of the Senate up for re-election this year, they are not going to follow the president off the cliff on this one.

If the FBI and the Senate can be so easily hacked, what does that say for the nation, in the public and private sectors?

If the House can get it done, I think the Senate could, but I'm not optimistic,

He was a true, honest-to-goodness statesmen and a real, real dear friend of mine. I mourn his loss. There are a lot of tears on the floor of the Senate today.

He has a very difficult task before him, ... I fear that as an adviser who lacks statutory mandate, Senate confirmation and budget confirmation and budget authority, he will not be as effective as we need him to be.

He has worked tirelessly to get that bill through. He has been the champion of small business in the Senate this year.

He is helping me. By talking about the progress and the prosperity of the last eight years, and what I would do in the Senate to build on that, and how important it is to elect Al Gore and Joe Lieberman.

He has said to the senator he disagrees with him. He believes he's going to be a good ally in the Senate to enact the kind of property tax relief that has eluded this governor for four years.

He'd sooner rather have his nails pulled out than sit in the United States Senate with 99 others guys who think they should be president.

He differs from the two Pauls in the sense that he is a nuts-and-bolts Senate insider ... in a way that Paul Douglas or Paul Simon never was.

He never likes to alienate anybody. But a Senate leader has to lead, and he has to be pretty direct and tough on people." ()

Whatever action the Senate takes on ESA reform should reflect the national, bipartisan outcry for strong property rights protections. Quite simply, when the government takes your property, the least it can do is pay for it.

There is a great mystique of the Senate Caucus Room, ... We are going to open up the hearings there.

There is no excuse for Wyoming to be so far behind, 20 years behind, in the energy race when your senator sits on the Senate energy committee.

We're pleased that the Senate and House have responded to the governor's call for an increase, and we're looking forward to that bill arriving on the governor's desk.