Political Quotes

“Madam President, I rise today to speak about the importance of keeping independent agencies accountable to Congress and to the American people. Congress created independent agencies to be places where expertise in complex areas of the Nation's economy informs policymaking within limits set by Congress. One such congressional creation is the Federal Communications Commission. Congress conferred independence on the FCC so it would be free from the normal control exercised by the President over the executive branch. In recent years, the FCC has behaved less like an independent commission accountable to Congress and more as a de facto arm of the executive branch, wholly subservient to the President. At the same time, the FCC has become more partisan than ever before and an institution that has seized greater regulatory power while simultaneously shutting down bipartisan dialogue and compromise. The recent rulemaking proceedings regarding title II common carrier authority, the massively expanded E-rate and Lifeline programs, backward-looking set-top box rules, and the agency's power grab over privacy regulations have all been characterized by a lack of bipartisan compromise or respect for the limits of the authority delegated by Congress. Much of the responsibility for this downward trajectory rests with the current FCC chairman, Tom Wheeler.…”