Political Quotes

“This amendment is a simple one. It strikes funding for the United States Institute of Peace. I'm going to direct most of my remarks today to my colleagues on the Democratic side, because I think this does insist upon bipartisan support. I think the United States Institute of Peace is a great organization. I think they do great work. If you're going to rise today to say continue funding them because of all the great things they do, you don't need to bother. I agree with you. The simple question is: After spending $720 million in taxpayer funds adjusted for inflation since 1985 not through a grant program but through a congressional earmark that has been dropped in year after year, the taxpayers have built this glorious new building. By the way, this one right here is the State Department. That does many of the same things. I can tell you that the Council on Foreign Relations hasn't gotten $721 million, the Foreign Policy Research Institute, the Brookings Institute, Cato, Roosevelt Institute, Council on Hemisphere Affairs, or none of the nearly 151 peace study organizations at universities around the country. I say to my friends on the Democratic side of the aisle, if for a moment we can focus on this, it is incumbent on all of us to also be seeing opportunities where we can find things in the budget that perhaps we can do without.”