Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of the time. The cost of real property to the Federal Government--costs are significant, and most agencies do not have the incentives to minimize those costs. Properties sit vacant and woefully underutilized, not only costing taxpayers billions of dollars, but often are eyesores in the local communities, and steal property away from the ad valorem revenues of local communities. Even so, despite the current budget climate, many agencies continue to seek more space than is necessary, reducing efficiency and increasing cost. Better management of Federal property presents an opportunity to reduce expenditures and increase revenues. H.R. 1734 is a bipartisan measure. It seeks to address a problem that has become a hallmark of our bloated, inefficient Federal bureaucracy. H.R. 1734 is intended to bring an independent process outside the bureaucratic red tape to the management of real property owned by the Federal Government. It will reduce waste, increase efficiency of the Federal Government, and produce significant savings for the taxpayer. With deficits over $1 trillion in the Federal Government, we simply can't afford to sit on money-losing properties and empty Federal buildings any longer. I ask my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of the rule and passage of the underlying bill. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore.…”