Political Quotes

“I will discuss amendment No. 753, and I appreciate the objection by the Senator from Illinois to that amendment. We have over $4 billion owed to the Federal Government by Federal employees in past due taxes. I am not talking about taxes that have been adjudicated or settled or that have been worked out. I am talking about taxes owed today that haven't been paid. The Federal Government has the ability to garnish those wages, but they will not. The way we get rid of a $1 trillion deficit is $1 billion at a time. On active Federal employees right now there is $1.1 billion in tax arrears and $2.2 billion from retired. That is undisputed. I am not talking about disputed. This is undisputed and hasn't been paid. So if there is an agreement that has been worked out, if they are working it out, that is fine, this amendment does nothing. We are laying off people at the FAA. A portion of these people at the FAA, whether it be in communications or a secretary or whatever, owes the Federal Government thousands of dollars, but we are asking somebody else to take a furlough day rather than either terminating this other individual or garnishing their wages. Something is wrong with that picture. This amendment says we are going to do that. We are going to actually enforce the rule of law and we will apply it equally to Federal employees as we apply it to everybody else in this country. This will save, over the next 2 to 3 years, about $3 billion. Yet I can't bring up this amendment.…”