Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, as we attempt to cut spending back to top-line FY 2022 levels, we must address the glaring $32.6 trillion debt. We must commit in this Congress to significant spending cuts. If we don't, we will be mortgaging the futures of our children. We will perpetually hobble long-term economic growth by not only destroying our future borrowing power but by forcing our Treasury to dedicate much of its future spending to debt repayment rather than meeting the needs of the American people. If we fail to tackle runaway spending now, we are compromising the well-being of future generations. Is that the legacy we want to leave behind? We have an obligation, a moral one, to ensure that we leave this country better off than we found it. In an appropriations bill that is supposed to be focused on supporting our veterans and their families, we are sending $293 million--taxpayer dollars--abroad to support NATO. That is an increase of 33 percent from FY 2023. There will be some who argue that the $293 million figure is a commitment that the United States made at the June 2022 NATO summit. While Congress has largely abdicated its role in foreign affairs to the executive branch, it was the intent of our Founding Fathers that this institution provide a robust check on the executive. It is why we have the power of the purse. Ultimately, given Congress' massive spending habits, there needs to come a time when we say enough is enough, and that is the purpose for offering this amendment today.…”