Paul Tonko Quotes

If you ask people do you think that government should spend less money than what it takes in, most people agree with that.

I'm coming to Washington, D.C., to do the people's work. And the people's work has to do with reducing spending and cutting budgets and, and trying to get a grip on the size of government.

Memo to Congress: America's problem is not that government is too small. It's the spending, stupid!

What you really want to do is sit down and find a place that you can control government spending and raise more revenue.

I think you're going to see a number of Democrats that do want to see us grapple with spending.

The goal is to reduce the size and scope of government spending, not to focus on the deficit. The deficit is the symptom of the disease.

We should reduce total government spending as a percentage of the economy. The left wants to focus on the deficit so they can take us away from the focus on spending as a percentage of the economy.

The American people elected us here to cut spending so we can create an environment for jobs in America. The House has acted. We have demonstrated that we want to see spending, discretionary spending, brought down to levels of 2008. We've seen no counteraction. We have seen no position that has been expressed by the other side at all.

I'd be a lot more excited about eliminating earmarks if we reduced all of the spending by whatever the earmarks used to be, but nobody's, apparently, going to talk about doing that.

I came to Congress to help reduce spending.

The real goal should be reduced government spending, rather than balanced budgets achieved by ever rising tax rates to cover ever rising spending.

Look, I am not worried about Washington cutting too much spending too fast. I mean, the kinds of spending cuts we're talking about just right now are $100 billion out of a $3.7 trillion budget.

The problem is government spends too much. So raising taxes is what politicians do, instead of reducing spending.

I, for one, believe that revenue has to increase. I think every American would pay more if they thought spending was going to be cut and the budget brought to balance.

Even with not having a balanced budget at this time, I support tax cuts. That will help limit spending.

I've criticized Republicans for their lack of fiscal discipline when they controlled Congress before 2007. However, that is no excuse to just continue with more of the same or, as the case is now, to make it worse. Under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's budget, we will double the national debt in five years and triple it in 10.

If you could bring to me a majority of people to say that we're going to have $10 of spending cuts for $1 of revenue enhancement, put me in, coach.

We in Tennessee know that low taxes, less government, and less spending are the ways to grow our economy.

Taxes are forever; spending cuts are transitory.

We must get rid of deficit spending which finances the political schemes of today by mortgaging the future of tomorrow.

How does one leave Social Security and Medicare untouched, grow defense by more than $50 billion, slash taxes, launch a $1 trillion infrastructure program - and not explode the deficit and national debt?

I believe very firmly that we can get to balanced budgets without raising taxes and without cutting transfers to the provinces or to individuals.

The need to change our country's fiscal trajectory, including reforming entitlement programs, is an unassailable reality that will define our time.

This country doesn't have a revenue problem - it has a spending problem.

Arizona faces many challenges ahead. None is more important or more pressing than passing a new state budget.