Congressional Debate Quotes

I am interested in the Panama Canal because I started it. If I had followed traditional, conservative methods I would have presented a dignified state paper to Congress and the debates on it would have been going on yet; but I took the Canal Zone and let Congress debate; and while the debate goes on the Canal does also.

The House [of Representatives] has become not so much a legislative assembly as a huge panel from which committees are selected.

When I first went to Washington [the senate], I thought, what is l'il ole me doing with these ninety-nine great people? Now I ask myself, what am I doing with those ninety-nine jerks?

What do members of Congress say to each other every Wednesday? Have a nice weekend!

The Supreme Court of the United States, in a recent case, has, by a decision of seven to two of the Judges, established as law what our Southern statesmen have been repeating daily for many years on the floors of Congress, that the whole action of this Government on the subject of slavery, for more than a quarter of a century, from the initiation of the Missouri Restriction in 1822, to the California Compromise in 1850, has been all beyond the limits of the Constitution; was without justifiable authority; and that the whole mass should be now proclaimed null and void, and that slavery is guaranteed by the constitutional compact.

As Congress battles over spending and cost cutting, it is imperative that funding for math education programs does not fall victim.

When I first arrived, I likened Congress to being back in school again as a freshman. Well, just like school, we have an 'August recess,' but don't let the name fool you - it's not even close to a vacation.

We've learned something about President-elect [Donald] Trump's choice for secretary of defense. Lawmakers in Congress intend to proper debate over whether retired General James Mattis meets a requirement for civilian control of the military.

Elijah Cummings and his colleagues in the House are hung up on giving more money to Puerto Rico when we have our own farmers who are fixing to lose their farm.

If becoming a member of Congress is like going to college, then crafting legislation is our homework.

I like the House. The House is where you can effect the most change. It's such a fast-moving dynamic body compared to the Senate.

Comprehensive immigration reform should be debated and passed by Congress.

Congress is a collection of committees that come together in a Chamber periodically to approve one another's actions.

You can't have your own way in Congress.

There you go again. When I opposed Medicare, there was another piece of legislation meeting the same problem before the Congress. I happened to favor the other piece of legislation and thought that it would be better for the senior citizens to provide better care than the one that was finally passed.

The House of Representatives eliminated the filibuster way back in the 19th century, and somehow it managed to survive.

What I find is most people have a civics book understanding for how Congress works and how a bill moves.

Someone should put up a chart for Congress showing the difference between millions, billions, and trillions. Our problems are in trillions and Congress is arguing about millions.

The withdrawal that Congress is debating now will only effect whether we leave somewhat gracefully or in complete panic and humiliation. Sistani has already made the decision. The Sunnis will not be coming back into the Iraqi government. The die is cast. The civil war will continue. George W. Bush will leave office a complete embarrassment. And he still won't know what happened to him.

Two committees in the house were up all night long trying to get a version of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act passed. House Republicans are just fighting tooth and nail to pass it in the House, to try to get it into the Senate, to try to make it then so that the Senate will get on board. But you know who one of the Republican senators is who's not on board with this anymore? Senator Tom Cotton.

Gag Rule

The last thing I saw Gabrielle Giffords do on the floor of the House of Representatives was to line up like the rest of us and read a part of the Constitution. And unbeknownst to her, when she got to the well, her part was the First Amendment.

During a time of war, we ask our troops to give their best even to the point of sacrificing their own lives. When compared against that, how much of a sacrifice is it for a president to engage in a possibly contentious debate with Congress about whether military action is a good idea?

Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I call the attention of the House to these bridge bills that are coming up .... This bill is typical of the type of bill that should be objected to.

There isn't a guy [Congressman] up there [Capitol Hill] who knows what's in this bill.