Michael Chertoff Quotes

It is time for us to insist that we are accountable for the money that we are spending.

There are two important things to remember about 'entitlements': They are hugely popular programs for a very good reason, and actual sensible 'reform' would mean improving them, not sacrificing them at the altar of 'fiscal responsibility.'

Fiscal responsibility and government reform are going to be good themes for governing, well at any time, but particularly coming out of a recovery.

We do not have a revenue problem in D.C. or this county. We have a prioritization problem. When you create the priorities you fund the priorities of the country and you stop spending money when you get to zero.

Every government program needs to be more efficient. Instead of pointing out how other programs can tighten their belts, every program administrator must look inward to save money.

The safest course for public officials is simply to throw all of the money in a sack.

Homeland Security money ought not to be allocated on a pork barrel basis.

I'm not going to deprive my constituents of money that's out there.

I believe the only measure of government response shouldn't be how much we spend on a situation, but rather how well we spend.

If you're going to be successful, you better have a goal, you better find really good people, better understand where all the money's coming from. And you better measure the living daylights out of it.

Keeping a lid on taxes is not just good for the taxpayer. It's a powerful way to force government to be more accountable, set priorities and spend smarter. Let me repeat that: more accountable, set priorities and spend smarter - that's what we need to be about.

Spare no expense to save money on this one.

Accepting money from the federal government to conduct research places academic inquiry in the service of national interests.

Adhering to budgeting rules shouldn't trump good decision-making.

Well, no American wants to in any way hurt our capabilities to national defense, but that doesn't mean an unlimited amount of money, and a blank check for anything they want at any time, for any purpose. Not at all.

Putting together a sustainable budget requires that we all work together, that we focus our scarce resources on key priorities, and that we strengthen our capacity to deliver the best product we can for the American people. And that takes money.

We need earmark reform, and when I'm President, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely.

America is one of the biggest businesses in the world, and the people who run it can't balance their budget. We need business people in there and lobbyists out of there.

Why should a city be mandated to do something by the federal government or state government without the money to do it?

Not one Republican president has balanced the budget in 34 years. You can not trust Republicans with your money.

It's a terribly hard job to spend a billion dollars and get your money's worth.

Money is power, and in that government which pays all the public officers of the states will all political power be substantially concentrated.

What is OK is to spend money for productivity. What is not OK is just to light money on fire.

And yet, if we don't, first and foremost, act responsibly with the national tax dollars that we have, we can't properly address those regional priorities that we would like to.

I understand that government should live within its means, value the money it holds in trust from you the taxpayer, avoid waste and, above all else, observe the first maxim of good government: namely, do no avoidable harm.