Sam Brownback: “Mr. Speaker, as a new Member, I am amazed that the House of Representatives has been taking money from the taxpayers to…”

“Mr. Speaker, as a new Member, I am amazed that the House of Representatives has been taking money from the taxpayers to run Congress without keeping track of where that money goes. A comprehensive audit of this institution is long overdue. The days of treating the American taxpayer's money with an arrogant disregard for accountability must end now. Congress must understand that the money spent here is not ours--it is the peoples money--and they are entitled to know where every penny goes. Throughout my campaign, people told me they are fed up with scandals in Congress--the House bank scandal--the House Post Office scandal--the House restaurant. This reform, Mr. Speaker, instructs the House inspector general to use independent auditing firms to conduct a full scale audit of all the House's functions. This reform will restore openness and accountability to the way Congress does business. We must eliminate any 'waste, fraud, and abuse' from this body as is called for in the contract with America. We want this audit to be as expansive as possible--to account for every asset--every dollar spent by this institution. My new colleagues and I were sent to Congress to reform the way the Federal Government works. But to do this, we must first clean up the Congress. Mr. Speaker, this is an opportunity to help restore America's faith and trust in Congress.”