Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I wanted to thank Chairman Issa and the sponsor of this bill, Chairman Lankford, for working with me to improve this legislation. I respect the sponsor's goal with his bill, which is to provide taxpayers more information about how their money is being spent by the Federal Government. I think most people don't mind paying taxes, but they want to know that they are spending them and that they are being used in an effective and efficient manner and for the purpose intended. However, the Congressional Research Service identified multiple areas of potential overlap and duplication between the bill as it was introduced and the current statutory requirements. For example, the bill, as introduced, would have required each agency to report information on improper payments, but the Improper Payments Information Act already requires agencies to report information on improper payments. The current bill, as amended, eliminates much of that duplication. This is a much better bill, and I applaud the majority for their work on it. There is one provision in the Taxpayers Right-to-Know Act that I want to note because I think it will be a real improvement with regard to transparency. The bill would require agencies to report the number of full-time positions that are paid, in full or in part, through a grant or a contract. We do not currently know how many employees are working for the Federal Government through contracts.…”