Political Quotes

“Thank you, Madam Chairman. As you can see, this is a very simple bill. My amendment would require every single agency covered in this Ag appropriations bill to be accountable to the taxpayers by reducing one nickel out of a dollar for what they have been given to spend. It requires all accounts to absorb that equally, that 5 percent reduction, and it will keep the bureaucracy from picking winners and losers or choosing to fund their pet programs. Certainly the amendment will save the taxpayers money, but this is also a stand for good government. It's about taking responsibility, not torturing the American taxpayer with excuses for ineffective and inefficient bureaucracies. There are a lot of people that say the Appropriations Committee deserves a pat on the back for decreasing discretionary spending by 4.7 percent below the 2008 levels, and I agree with that. I think they are to be commended. Certainly off the President's request, the 13 percent reduction that they have made. I'm part of that effort that has pushed to return our spending to the pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels, but there is more that must be done. We have to make our government leaner. We have to make it more effective. Every day, Americans are tightening their belts. They're asking government to do the very same thing. Tennesseans keep saying, why is it that government keeps asking us to sacrifice for it when government should be sacrificing for us?…”