Benigno Aquino III Quotes

I object to you using words like squander and pork. What is pork in one part of the country is an essential project in another part.

I view roads as a source of boundless patronage to the executive, jobbing to members of Congress and their friends, and a bottomless abyss of public money. You will begin by only appropriating the surplus of the post office revenues; but the other revenues will soon be called into their aid, and it will be a source of eternal scramble among the members, who can get the most money wasted in their State

It is difficult even now for the President to avoid giving his approbation to any law appropriating money for a road or canal.

Earmarks are the gateway to corruption.

We have the right as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right [individually] to appropriate a dollar of the public money.

Congress: Bingo with billions.

Frankly, earmarking is not the problem. It is a symptom of the problem.

The President sends us a billion-page paper that shows how he would spend the money if he were spending the money. He doesn't have the authority to spend the money. He doesn't spend $1 of the money.

Three groups spend other people's money: children, thieves, politicians. All three need supervision.

It is not for the State Department or even the Secretary of State to say when and how the resources of the American people will be spent.

I'm very interested in how corruption works - and it's not necessarily the way one might expect.

There are many government takers, some of whom do not know that they are government takers, who just don't want there to be other government takers.

The pork part of the budget is reaching new highs.

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

If you think that my job is to rob the Federal Treasury on your behalf, you have voted for the wrong man

There's more pork barrel than strategic need to the Galaxy.

The host of contractors, speculators, stockjobbers, and lobby members which haunt the halls of Congress, all desirous ... to get their arm into the public treasury, are sufficient to alarm every friend of this country. Their progress must be arrested.

Congressmen have their noses right in the trough and they're slurping it up for their districts at the expense of all the taxpayers.

I make sure that New York gets more than its fair share.

There are hundreds and hundreds .... We've had the policy of protecting members and not exposing them, but we've taken a lot of abuse. There are members on the bandwagon of anti-spending, but they come and get their share.

When Congress opens the government’s purse, the benefits flow to special interests rather than the public interest.

The cohesive power of public plunder.

I don’t think it is right that we spend the money to investigate only to have the laws give immunity retroactively. Maybe there should be protection for political decisions. But if you stole a million dollars you should be treated like a common criminal.

We in Congress have the money but we don’t have the expertise.

The last thing you want is a group of senators who just lent you seven and a half billion dollars to sit back and go, 'Look at these jerks and how they're using taxpayer money.'