Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment that would increase funding for the Government Accountability Office, offset by a minor decrease in the funding for the MRA accounts here in the House of Representatives. I am offering the amendment for three reasons: First, the bill significantly underfunds the GAO. Second, the administration is actively thwarting congressional oversight, which we need more of, not less of. Finally, Congress, which struck an aggressive posture in oversight during the previous administration, seems to have lost its way a bit in its constitutional duty to oversee the activities of this executive branch. The GAO is a vital resource not only for congressional overseers, but also anyone interested in studying or improving the effectiveness of Federal agencies. The GAO is often referred to as the congressional watchdog. I am sure every Member of Congress has supported or requested a GAO report with the purpose of examining broad and discrete issues of executive branch oversight at some point in their career. It is a vital institution that saves taxpayer dollars. Every dollar we invest in the GAO, Mr. Chairman, generates a $112 return for the Federal Government and for the taxpayer. This oversight dividend amounted to $63 billion in financial benefits for the Federal Government in fiscal year 2016 alone. Unfortunately, the bill before us provides $46.2 million less than the budget request for fiscal year 2018.…”