In his first appearance on the Senate floor since the start of the 114th Congress, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) apologized for the time the upper chamber spent last month debating the Keystone XL pipeline.
“I’m sorry to say that we spent one month on a bill calling for the importation of oil from a foreign country and then importing that oil outside of America,” Reid said in his remarks on the Senate floor on Monday.
{mosads}He jabbed Republicans for focusing on legislation that they packaged as a jobs bill, arguing that as a “U.S. senator our work is measured by what we are able to accomplish for the middle class.”
Reid added that he was “glad” both parties were able to reach an agreement on the number of amendments that received a vote.
“I wish we could have done some more but I’m satisfied with what we were able to do,” Reid said.
The Senate passed legislation to approve the $8 billion oil sands project last week in a 62-36 vote.
The House is determining whether to vote on the Senate’s bill, which included an amendment declaring climate change is real, or go to conference committee.
The bill is expected to hit President Obama’s desk sometime next week, prompting his first veto against the new Republican-controlled Congress.