Political Quotes

“I thank Congressman Walker for arranging this Special Order. Looking ahead, H.R. 850, the Agency Accountability Act, would be a game changer for government run amuck. In 2015, Federal agencies collected over $530 billion--that is billion dollars--in fees, fines, and other revenue independent of the appropriations process. Article I, section 9, clause 7 of the Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse. This assigns to Congress the role of final arbiter of the use of public funds. Allowing agencies to have slush funds outside of the normal appropriations process is a recipe for bad acting. For instance, during the Obama administration, the Department of Justice would send money collected through fees and settlements to political activist groups aligned with the administration policies; many times in contradiction to Congress' will. Nearly 15 percent of the Department of Justice's entire budget is from alternative funding sources, not Congress. However, DOJ isn't a lone wolf. The Department of Labor has raised over $1.3 billion from fines and fees and the Environmental Protection Agency collected over $600 million, just to name a few.”