Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi

“So, let’s honor our responsibilities, which is, again, the place where people place their trust. You know, they ignore government, they don’t like government, they don’t want this, they don’t want that, but at a time like this, in a time of emergency is really when we prove our worth. Let’s prove our worth and urge the Speaker to bring this legislation to the floor, quickly deal with while the Senate is still there, it can be sent to the President for his signature and hope can flow from here instead of a sense of wonderment – of ‘don’t tell me that.’"

“We will increase, by voting for this legislation and passing it in a strong bipartisan way, we’ll increase the confidence of consumers, of the markets, of businesses, of employers to hire more. We will extend unemployment insurance to people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. This is very, very important, not only to those individuals, but to our economy, because this is money that is spent immediately, injecting demand into the economy, creating jobs. We’ll extend permanent tax relief for the middle class, for more than 98 percent of American taxpayers, more than 97 percent of America’s small businesses. We will support our middle class, strengthen it by supporting child tax credits, credits for higher education, American Opportunity credits, Earned Income Tax Credit, and the like, our distinguished Ranking Member went through some of the provisions, but it’s important to see them in light of what they mean to America’s working families. And by doing this, by voting for this agreement, we will demonstrate that we have listened to the American people, we have heeded their call, once again, to work together in a bipartisan way."

“With the passage of this measure, we strengthen the principle that we must have equal parts revenue and spending cuts as we work to reduce our deficit. We strengthen our economy through investments in innovation, tax credits for education, and tax breaks to spur the technologies of the future, including renewable energy."

“President Lincoln’s bold action – what he called an ‘act of justice’ – marked the first official step in the struggle for civil rights, and it still inspires us to this day. As we gathered with over 30 Members of Congress and others at the National Archives on New Year’s Eve to view the original document and celebrate its meaning, we were reminded of our best traditions as Americans: the ability and obligation of each generation to carry forward the torch of freedom, to strengthen our democracy, and to widen the circle of opportunity across our country."

"Well, I hope that we don’t have a reenactment of that, where the Republicans in the House paint themselves in the extreme of not wanting to find compromise and a solution. But let’s be optimistic. Let us all, as Mr. Hoyer and others have said, hope that they decide in favor of the country as we go forward. But the issue of whether we have an up or down vote shouldn’t even be a question. It shouldn’t even be a question. We were told when the Speaker – we would not have any legislation on the floor until and unless the Senate acted, and when they did, we would have a vote. And so, we want to have that vote. And we look forward to what the timing is on that. And this is all about time, and it’s about time that we brought this to the floor..."