Political Quotes

On the recordMay 15, 2002
I think the language, they do not become beggars. This is a beggar system because it is a bureaucratic system. You have to fill the forms out right. You have to check the exact number of boxes. You have to dot the I's and cross the T's. If you do all that, that really is a beggar system.
Said by
Pete Hoekstra
Michigan

Editor's note · Context

Criticizing bureaucratic processes in government assistance programs.

Share

More from Pete Hoekstra

Jul 5, 2026

Next year, hopefully we can all take a toast of American bourbon legally in the province of Ontario," Hoekstra said. "And toast the friendship and the relationship between the United States and Canada."

cbc.ca
Jul 6, 2026

No, we’re not meeting with the separatists and strategizing this at all.

globalnews.ca
Jul 3, 2026

We like Canada. We like doing business with Canada.

nationalpost.com
Jul 5, 2026

The bridge is obviously going to open," Hoekstra told CBC News and the New York Times at the July 4 party. "We all want it open. There are some things that we're working through and we'll get those resolved I think relatively quickly."

cbc.ca

Other voices in this conversation