Political Quotes

“I would like to take a few moments before we have a vote this afternoon to discuss a serious concern I have about the original stimulus package, and I want the Senate to consider my remarks and my research as we consider the President's latest modified so- called jobs bill--in actuality, stimulus bill No. 2. I want to ensure the taxpayers' money is spent responsibly on programs that create viable, long-term jobs, not lost to waste, fraud, and abuse. The marching orders for the stimulus funding under the Obama administration have been ``spend now, chase later.'' But when governments spend money quickly, it leads to massive waste, fraud, and abuse. President Obama promised us he would use ``the new tools that the Recovery Act gives us to watch the taxpayers' money with more vigor and transparency than ever'' before. He also said that ``if a Federal agency proposes a project that will waste that money,'' he would ``put a stop to it.'' It is past time for the President to live up to his words because we all know, up to now, that certainly hasn't been the case. I will give several examples. A year ago, I asked the Department of Labor to explain why $500 million in green job training grants had been spent when the Department had just asked the public to help them define just what a green job is. Now, over a year later, the Department of Labor's inspector general issued an audit report showing that the President's promises are much different from reality.…”