Political Quotes

“My amendment bars the EPA and the Department of the Interior and any of its agencies from requiring mandatory donations to third-party groups as part of any settlement agreements the agencies enter into. In agencies across the government, settlement funds are being funneled to third-party groups, contravening congressional budget authority. A recent investigation by the House Judiciary and Financial Services Committees found as much as half a billion dollars had been diverted by the Department of Justice to third parties as a result of these settlements in the past year. This is inexcusable, and it is not unique to the Department of Justice. The Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service routinely sue and then enter into settlements with businesses and individuals who are then forced to make donations to third-party groups. This is all made possible because community service is expressly allowed as a condition of probation by the United States Criminal Code. In addition, the United States sentencing guidelines allow community service where it is reasonably designed to repair the harm caused by the offense. This results in settlement funds being directed to supposed ``community service'' groups. This is a practice that must be brought to an end.…”