Political Quotes

“I stand in strong opposition to this bill. Federal workers, Madam Speaker, are literally the backbone of our government. They support our troops on the battlefield, and they take care of our veterans when they return home. They protect our borders, safeguard our food supply, ensure that seniors receive their Social Security checks, and hunt down terrorists like Osama bin Laden. They carry out each and every Federal program, service, and initiative Congress has created. Despite the critical nature of the services that Federal workers provide, the majority believes that their pay should be frozen for yet another year, that their retirement benefits should be slashed, and that the size of the Federal workforce should be reduced sharply, even though it is smaller now than it was under Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Federal workers have already made tremendous sacrifices to address our Nation's budget deficits. The 2-year pay freeze to which they are currently subject will save taxpayers $60 billion. Further, Federal workers face the possibility of layoffs and furloughs in coming years as automatic spending reductions mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011 reduce agency budgets for salaries. The only workable solution to our country's budget deficit is a balanced one that includes shared sacrifice, including from the wealthiest among us.…”