Political Quotes

John Garamendi: “Go out, let's see if you can pay the building--let's see if you can go out and run a backhoe, dig a ditch, or operate a…”

On the recordNovember 18, 2010
Go out, let's see if you can pay the building--let's see if you can go out and run a backhoe, dig a ditch, or operate a bus or train or whatever. No, no, no, and when they lose their job here, as they should for this vote alone--they should for this vote alone lose their job here--no, they will go down to K Street, and they will get one of those high-powered office building jobs and they'll come back and lobby us and try to tell us what we should do. I will tell them what they should do--they should take a hike right out of this building because they're the super Scrooges of this session.
Said by
John Garamendi
Democratic · California
Source
govinfo.gov
Nov 18, 2010

Editor's note · Context

Garamendi criticizes lawmakers for their actions and potential lobbying after losing their jobs.

Share

More from John Garamendi

Jul 2, 2026

Bloated defense spending has been a serious problem for far too long. Requiring unfunded priorities only encourages the Pentagon to seek additional funding outside the normal budget process, often at the expense of readiness and sound…

garamendi.house.gov
Jun 25, 2026

With House passage of this important legislation, the HOME Investment Partnerships Program will, for the first time since 1994, be modernized and brought into the 21st century.

garamendi.house.gov
Jun 28, 2026

This bill, like nearly all of the Trump and Republican agenda, does nothing to make Americans’ financial situation better.

garamendi.house.gov
Jun 25, 2026

After years of work, we are one signature away from increasing access to affordable housing for hardworking Californians.

garamendi.house.gov

Other voices in this conversation