Political Quotes

“I have two amendments that I intend to offer. The first amendment would prohibit all political contributions from political action committees. The legislation would specifically prohibit a Senator from accepting any gift, directly or indirectly, from a political action committee. The other amendment that I will offer would strike from the committee substitute, provisions which prohibit Members of Congress from receiving private reimbursement for travel, food, and lodging, in connection with a charitable event. It is my understanding that the committee managers have accepted an amendment allowing honoraria to be directed entirely to charity. We have a situation under my amendment where such reimbursements would be permitted, as long as the reimbursement was not made by a registered lobbyist or a foreign agent. Mr. President, the apparent motivation for the committee legislation is, in my opinion, the mistaken belief that lobbyists and so-called special interest groups exercise undue influence on Members of Congress. That is a perception that the American public has. To counteract this so-called undue influence, the committee amendment would bar Members from receiving anything of value from a registered lobbyist. But the exception, Mr. President, is not political contributions; political contributions can still come in. And the bill restricts gifts from individuals, or other entities, in an amount not in excess of $20.”