Congressional Responsibility Quotes

Only we, the public, can force our representatives to reverse their abdication of the war powers that the Constitution gives exclusively to the Congress.

The War Powers Act requires presidents to seek the consent of the American people, through their representatives, before sending our troops into war. It is the responsibility of Congress to deliberate and consult with the executive branch before involving ourselves in a military conflict.

I want to emphasis again, Governor (Thomas) Kean and Congressman (Lee) Hamilton pointed out that congressional oversight also was a major contributor to our failures prior to 9/11 and that has to be fixed as well.

What I feel most strongly here being in Congress is kind of the burden - the good burden - of representing all of our military.

The American people didn't send us to Congress to post our sympathies on social media. You can do that without going through the trouble of getting elected to Congress. This job is about setting rules that better protect us and our children.

The Congress should not be creating money out of thin air, which is what Lincoln did when he created greenbacks. But it is a congressional responsibility to maintain gold and silver as a legal tender.

Tell Congress to go home and make an honest living instead of riding on the backs of the taxpayers.

Having been in Congress, you know that's part of our responsibility the constituent has a problem, We're supposed to write back and say, 'Well I can't do anything' That's not what they elect you for.

It has been said that this Congress is to be a do-nothing Congress. My humble judgment is, if this House shall investigate carefully and determine correctly and accurately the numerous contested-election cases before it, it will have performed a duty to the country of greater importance than the settlement of any question that has ever claimed the attention of a deliberative legislative body in this Republic for the last half century.

In 2003, Congress should have resisted the rush to a war of choice with Iraq. I will do everything in my power to prevent us from repeating the mistakes of my predecessors.

There isn't a political price to be paid yet for doing nothing. People need to get upset with President Bush. People need to get upset with their Congressmen.

Members of Congress goes before the cameras telling us that the immigration situation is a humanitarian crises, and then they leave town [having a Congressional vacation]. In a crisis I do my job. They should be here in Washington doing their jobs.

I have never yet had anyone who could, through the use of logic and reason, justify the Federal Government borrowing the use of its own money. I believe the time will come when people will demand that this be changed. I believe the time will come in this country when they will actually blame you and me and everyone else connected with the Congress for sitting idly by and permitting such an idiotic system to continue.

Although I agree that wild horses are a symbol of the American West, I also believe that it is the responsibility of Congress to ensure that these animals are managed, protected, and controlled in an effective manner.

Staff expands to fill the office space available.... The basic obligation of Congress is to the tax payers, not to its own creature comforts.

Vietnam ended a failure: repeatedly, to me, Kissinger described it as his greatest, and most persistent regret. But Congress was more to blame than Kissinger.

Congress no longer exercises its lawful function of lawmaking; that has gone to the committees.

As legislators and as Members of Congress, it is our obligation to speak up for those who are being ignored in our society. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) does just that.

I put myself and all the members of Congress in the same boat of things that could have been done better.

Congress has a responsibility to review research paid for by hard-working American taxpayers.

It is no surprise that the Republican-controlled Senate intelligence committee has once again caved in to the wishes of the White House and refused even to open an investigation. We cannot effectively legislate on the NSA spying issue if we do not know the facts, and we will not know them if the Republican-controlled intelligence committee persists in refusing to do its job.

The problem... is that most members of Congress don't pay attention to what's going on.

I think we have a Tea Party mandate, and that Tea Party mandate is for good-government type of things, things like term limits, things like a balanced budget amendment, things like read the bills for goodness sakes, things like that maybe Congress should only pass legislation that they apply to themselves as well.

Every one of us in Congress has a responsibility to keep working together and stay focused on what matters.

I am willing to work with anybody who wants to have a serious conversation about our fiscal future. We're not going to do this under the threat of blowing up the entire economy. I will not negotiate over Congress' responsibility to pay the bills that have already been racked up. I don't know how I can be more clear about this.