Nick Lampson Quotes

Congress should get the job done.

We need new energy back in Washington.

The people we send to Washington have to roll up their sleeves, stop the fighting, and work together on issues that are not political, not partisan, but personal to families across our state and our nation.

Our Congress should stay in session all summer - camp out in D.C., and turn off the AC. Put on their stuffiest powdered wigs and sweat it out, until they give in and put their John Hancocks (and their Nancy Pelosis and their John Boehners) on at least one meaningful law that no one wants to repeal.

Challenges of historic import threaten America's future. Action on the deficit, economy, energy, health care and much more is imperative, yet our legislative institutions fail to act. Congress must be reformed.

The Tea Party is clearing gunk out of the fuel lines of this country. It started with throwing out Democrats, but the Republicans are going to be next. We're doing what needs to be done for the sake of the country.

It's the No.1 issue with people I talk to, whether Republican, Democrat or independent. They want to see the way business is done in Washington change.

What Congress needs is a trochar.

We need a new tax system. We need entitlement reform. We need immigration reform. These are not easy things. But it is going to take our political system working better.

We need Congress to do more than just engage in partisan games.

I'm not a professional politician. I'm a professional problem solver, and I believe we should cut the salaries of senators and congressmen 10 percent until they balance the budget. I call that conservative common sense.

Earmarks have become a symbol of a Congress that has broken faith with the people. This earmark ban shows the American people we are listening and we are dead serious about ending business as usual in Washington.

Improving some of the rules under which the Senate functions can begin to replace some of the bad habits Washington has developed with better ones.

I reiterate that the rigor and credibility brought to the world by Monti's government are for us a point of no return.

While I have worked hard to bring folks to the middle to craft common-sense solutions to the many problems that confront our nation, Washington is mired in gridlock, gamesmanship and constant partisan bickering.

In Wisconsin, I led the Assembly to a balanced budget in face of fierce opposition from the status quo.

The American people have made it abundantly clear that they want less government, not more. They want problems solved in a bipartisan manner, not the creation of new problems.

Congress needs strong parties, but it also needs the capacity to deal with budget and entitlement challenges that are likely beyond the reach of pure partisan exertion.

I think that if Republicans are given the reins of leadership in the House or Senate or both, we will have to govern in a way - at least put forward solutions whether or not the president goes along with them or not, that deal with these long-term challenges.

There are as many Democrats that are guilty as Republicans and their spending habits. And the fact is, is that Washington is just broken.

President Barack Obama has it right - there is a lot to change about Washington. The problem is, not much will get changed unless we confront the runaway filibuster in the U.S. Senate.

At his best, Obama promised to work with Republicans to reduce the deficit in a way that honors both individualism and community.

Look, I think by the time my case was over and other ones, everybody on both sides of the aisle in Congress said we can't run a government by this kind of process and they repealed the law and that's good.

I think, I think we need a Republican president from the real world to remind ourselves sometimes of what we need to do.

As president, I'm committed to making Washington work better and rebuilding the trust of the people who sent us here.