Chellie Pingree Quotes (15 Quotes)

This legislation is so weak it's embarrassing.

It would make an enormous difference. It's a much higher hurdle to cross if everyone knows who you are talking to -- especially if there is a big vote in Congress the next day.

It is important that we Mainers continue our strong support of the program that has so successfully shaped our current political environment and led to similar reforms in other places.

The danger is that they are going to talk about a variety of proposals that will look more like window dressing than an institutional change in the way they do business.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner and cocktail parties to boot. The normal American citizen doesn't have that level of access or influence.

Everyone agrees that it is good for members of Congress to get out in the world.

Both of the parties' proposals fail to get at the heart of the problem, which is a complete lack of enforcement of the rules in Congress. Without credible enforcement, new rules are just more words.

I really believe that states are laboratories of democracy.

Companies get an incredible return on their investment and feel they can't stop spending the money. They're still looking for ways to influence the process, and there are still many ways to do that.

The Republican House leadership was maneuvering to prevent members of Congress from having to go on the record about much-needed reforms the public supports.

It's clear that Rep. DeLay saw the writing on the wall and expects to be implicated like his close aides.

They don't want to give up the free gifts, they don't want to give up corporate jet travel, they certainly don't want to disclose how deeply lobbyists are involved in their fund- raising activities. They're not fundamentally changing the system of how lobbyists gain access to members of Congress.

Congress has proven beyond any doubt that it is not up to the task of policing the conduct of its own members. That's why we need strong, independent enforcement of the ethics rules by an outside commission.

The fact that public servants who have seriously violated their duties to the public would be rewarded by a lifetime pension seems grossly unfair to average citizens.

The Ethics Committee has been inoperative for essentially all of this Congress and shows no signs of addressing numerous matters that have been and are before the committee.