Political Quotes

Ted Poe

The Public Record

Ted Poe is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, serving Texas's 2nd congressional district from 2005 to 2019. Born on October 10, 1948, Poe is a former judge and prosecutor, bringing a legal background to his political career. During his time in Congress, he was known for his strong stance on issues such as national security, immigration, and crime. Poe was a member of the House Judiciary Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he advocated for various legislative measures related to these areas.

Quotes by year · 2005–20182,998 total · peak 2013 (383)
2005: 96 quotes2006: 138 quotes2007: 213 quotes2008: 106 quotes2009: 51 quotes2010: 226 quotes2011: 256 quotes2012: 211 quotes2013: 383 quotes2014: 317 quotes2015: 339 quotes2016: 175 quotes2017: 262 quotes2018: 225 quotes

★ Featured Quote

December 20, 2018

It has been the honor of my life to serve in Congress. Today, I am reminded of why I came here in the first place.…

— Ted Poe

Most widely reported

by number of sources
  1. I request permission to take Mr. Jones' time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas? There was no objection. The Speaker pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.5 sources2006govinfo.gov
  2. In the early morning hours of Monday, while most of the city was asleep, the diligent Houston Police Department responded to a robbery call at an Exxon service station. The lawmen approach the scene, and they see a suspect speed off in what turned out to be a stolen U-Haul truck. The police follow the truck, and the high-speed chase is on. The outlaw abandons the truck, carjacks a woman, pushes her out of the minivan, and continues his flight. The outlaw fires shots at the police and keeps fleeing in the darkness of the morning hours. Houston Police Officer Richard Martin, aware of the chase and ahead of it, jumps out of his patrol car and starts placing spike strips on the road to stop the approaching vehicle. The criminal sees Officer Martin and intentionally runs over him and kills him. Then the criminal continues on a 20-mile run from the law in the city of Houston. He is later cornered by the police in a standoff, and then he shoots himself and is taken to the hospital. As he lingered in the hospital, the district attorney, Devon Anderson, prepared capital murder charges against him, but the killer died, thus avoiding the hangman. The outlaw had a long criminal history. Officer Richard Martin was a Houston police officer. He was 47 years of age. He had only been a peace officer for 4 years, and he worked at the Westside patrol division. Prior to being a police officer, he had been in private industry for 20 years. Officer Martin was also a veteran.…4 sources2015govinfo.gov
  3. Born in the 1920s, he grew up in the Depression of the 1930s, poor, like more most rural American children. Fresh vegetables were grown in the family garden behind the small frame house. His mother made sandwiches for school out of homemade bread. Store-bought bread was for the rich. He grew up belonging to the Boy Scouts, playing the trumpet in the high school band, and he went to church on almost all Sundays. In 1944, this 18-year-old country boy, who had never been more than 50 miles from home, quickly found himself going through basic training at the United States Army at Camp Wolters in Camp Wolters, Texas. After that, he rode a train with hundreds of other young teenagers-- American males--to New York City for the ocean trip on a cramped Liberty ship to fight in the great World War II. While crossing the Atlantic, he witnessed another Liberty ship next to his that was sunk by a German U-boat. As a soldier in the Seventh Army, he went from France to survive the Battle of the Bulge and through the cities of Aachen, Stuttgart, Cologne, and Bonn. As a teenager, he saw the brutal concentration camps of the Nazis and saw the victims. He saw incredible numbers of other teenage Americans buried in graves throughout Europe. A solemn monument to those soldiers is at Normandy. After Germany surrendered, he was ordered back to Fort Hood, Texas. He was being reequipped for the invasion of Japan. Then Japan surrendered.…3 sources2016govinfo.gov
  4. I bring you news from the second front. The second front is the border war on the southern border of the United States between America and Mexico. It is important that America understand that there is a violent atmosphere in Mexico, our neighbors to the south. It's a possibility that the government may collapse. There is chaos, there is high unemployment, and much of the blame goes to the drug cartels that are operating in Mexico. They are violent; they are mean; they have a lot of money; and it makes no difference who they kill that gets in their way to smuggle that cancer into the United States. This should concern all of us. We cannot wait for the reaction of the violence along the Texas-Mexico border, especially, to come into the United States. We must be proactive and not wait for Americans to be killed before our country does something about it. You know, our country protects the borders of other nations, nations that many Americans don't even know where they are on the map. But the first duty of government is to protect our Nation and protect our borders, especially from those narcoterrorists that come into the United States habitually.3 sources2009govinfo.gov
  5. more news from the second front. The battle for the border is continuing. When our government does not monitor illegal entry into our homeland, all types of bandits come through. One was Ramon Ramos. He and his accomplice, Francisco Salcedo, were stopped by Texas State Trooper Steven Stone for speeding in Tyler, Texas, 400 miles from the border. They were wearing body armor and armed with knives, handguns and assault rifles, and they were looking for trouble. Ramos showed Trooper Stone a forged driver's license, and then, at point blank range, started shooting. Trooper Stone was shot six times and left for dead. Ramos and Salcedo then led other law enforcement officers on a high speed chase. Ramos was recently convicted and sentenced to 14 life sentences. Why 14? Well, he tried to kill 13 other people, including peace officers in his blazing gun battle with the law. Salcedo will get his day in court later this week. Trooper Steven Stone miraculously survived. Mr. Speaker, these crimes against peace officers could have been avoided had the Federal Government done its sworn duty to protect the borders from illegal entry. And that's just the way it is. ____________________3 sources2006govinfo.gov
  6. As a former judge and prosecutor, I saw the impact of domestic violence firsthand. As co-founders of the Victims' Rights Caucus, with my friend Jim Costa from California, we believe that it is important to recognize October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. My grandmother used to always say, ``You never hurt someone you claim you love.'' Yet, in 2014 alone, 132 women were killed in domestic violence-related incidents in Texas. After a history of spousal abuse, 27-year-old Candace Williams Deckard of Houston, Texas, was murdered by her husband on July 17, 2014. She had three children. Her toddler was in the room when she was murdered. Another one of her children, a 7-year-old, ran down the street for help. All of these children will grow up without their mother. Domestic violence, Mr. Speaker, is not a family issue; it is a national health issue, and it is a criminal justice issue. Domestic violence is a scourge on our national culture. We must not tolerate those who would destroy a family by abuse and murder. We must protect victims. After all, Mr. Speaker, you never hurt someone you claim you love. And that is just the way it is. ____________________2 sources2015govinfo.gov
Dec 19, 2018

Megan Rondini was a student at the University of Alabama. She originally was from Austin, Texas, but chose the University of Alabama as her school of choice. Megan went to school there. While she was a student, she came in contact with a…

govinfo.gov
Dec 13, 2018

The people of Iran have taken to the streets and continue to protest against the illegitimate regime of the Ayatollah and the mullahs. These protests have taken place in numerous cities now for 1 year. The people protest the war-mongering…

govinfo.gov
Dec 11, 2018

For more than 7 years, the butcher of Syria has been slaughtering his own people. This relentless mass murderer has left half a million dead and millions others displaced. He has bombed, gassed, gunned down, and executed the Syrian people…

govinfo.gov
Dec 11, 2018

That means we are losing. We are losing. Complex means we are losing.

congress.gov
Dec 11, 2018

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are in the midst of a situation in the United States, and throughout the world, where slavery has crept back into our environment and into our communities, and it is the slave trade of women and children for…

govinfo.gov
Dec 11, 2018

I think the country is better because of your leadership over the last 6 years.

congress.gov
Dec 11, 2018

Nord Stream II is energy blackmail. If completed, it will make our European allies more dependent on Russian gas to meet their energy needs. For three decades, Russia has used its abundant energy supplies to coerce European neighbors into…

govinfo.gov
Dec 11, 2018

What can we do, Congress, administration?

congress.gov
Dec 11, 2018

It is the final showdown scene, and while there are no swinging doors or clicking of spurs, eerie signs and sounds of silence or dust swirling behind me, I stand here today in the people's House to speak probably for the last time. If they…

govinfo.gov
Dec 11, 2018

I have had the privilege to serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee. My district stretches--or used to stretch--all the way to the Texas-Louisiana border, where the Speaker is from. Some say that is why I was on the Foreign Affairs…

govinfo.gov
Dec 11, 2018

Thank you for chairing this committee for so many years. It has been a wonderful privilege to be here with you.

congress.gov
Nov 29, 2018

The First Amendment is first for a reason. It is the most important right we have as Americans and at the very core of who we are. Without the First Amendment, freedom of religion, free speech, freedom of the press, freedom in assembly…

govinfo.gov
Nov 29, 2018

As we remember the 100th anniversary of the great World War I, it is vital to honor American pilots who fought for freedom in Europe before the United States officially entered the war. Under the French Air Service, the Lafayette…

govinfo.gov
Nov 28, 2018

At the remarkable age of 98, Lieutenant Tom Morgan is retiring as the oldest active lawman in the State of Texas and probably the United States. Tom patrols the rivers, bayous, and lakes of Harris County, Texas for the Sheriff's Office…

govinfo.gov
Nov 27, 2018

They have been the focus of legend and lore, portrayed on radio shows and the silver screen. It was this month, in 1835, the new Republic of Texas officially created a law enforcement force of three companies, 56 men each, known as the…

govinfo.gov
Nov 27, 2018

I want to express my strong support for this legislation of which I am an original cosponsor. I was proud to work alongside Ranking Member Engel, Mr. Adam Smith, Mr. McCaul, and Representative Keating on this legislation. Around the globe…

govinfo.gov
Nov 27, 2018

I want to reiterate that when the Foreign Affairs Committee meets and makes a decision, we do that almost in unison, Republicans and Democrats, looking out for the best foreign policy of the United States. And Chairman Royce and Mr. Engel…

govinfo.gov
Nov 15, 2018

Born in the 1920s, he grew up in the Depression of the 1930s poor, just like many American children in the rural areas. Fresh vegetables were grown in the family garden behind the small frame house, and his mother made sandwiches for…

govinfo.gov
Nov 13, 2018

Indefinitely might be a fair answer. Would you say that?

congress.gov
Nov 13, 2018

We must not become complacent. We must continue to be vigilant until those ideologies that motivate violent extremism are cast into the dustbin of history.

congress.gov
Nov 13, 2018

World War I ended 100 years ago. During the brutal, bloody war, thousands were killed in an area of France and Belgium called Flanders. ``In Flanders Fields,'' by John McCrae. In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on…

govinfo.gov
Nov 13, 2018

I think we are in for a long duration of Iranian terrorist activities throughout the world.

congress.gov
Nov 13, 2018

The Iranians are spending at least $1 billion on causing terror in the world.

congress.gov
Nov 13, 2018

The threat of terrorism remains a deadly challenge for us and our allies around the globe.

congress.gov

Politicians like Ted Poe