Jason Chaffetz Quotations

Until the administration can articulate a coherent and convincing policy for closing Guantanamo, it should remain open.

Throughout my first year in office, I have stood up for principles that will guide our country back toward the path of freedom and prosperity.

We have seen an outrageous increase in the size, scope, and intrusiveness of the federal government.

You dont raise taxes in times of such uncertainty.

Governor Romney has paid 100 percent of his taxes that are owed. He has complied 100 percent with what the law requires.

I don't have a problem talking about Medicare or Medicaid or some other very important issue.

I was ranked the second most conservative member in the House.

I've always viewed Mitt Romney as a very conservative person.

If you're going to grow the economy, if people are going to have more income, you have to have stability in the marketplace.

Straw purchasing is illegal.

The only good place for a sage grouse to be listed is on the menu of a French bistro. It does not deserve federal protection, period.

You know, I think what people want more than anything is they just want people to do what they say they're going to do.

I really truly worry that the debt is one of the single biggest threat to the United States of America, that we're talking about a problem that is multi-trillion in its depth and I think we ought to be cutting more.

A premium support program is different than a voucher program. They're just fundamentally different.

Federal spending is atrocious.

The only way you can raise the debt ceiling is to change the trajectory of spending - that's my personal preference. But I want the Ways and Means Committee to offer up a solution.

There are those of us that believe if you truly want to try drive down the cost of gas, if you really want to solve the problem, then you should be pursuing the extraction of our resources that are right here at home: alternative energy and traditional.

Obstruction of Congress in our work is a crime.

Nearly 30 million people ride Amtrak each year, and they should board the trains knowing that safety is a paramount priority.

If we're going to win this battle over fiscal responsibility, we need more of the people who vote right and fewer of those whose seniority is their only selling point.

I got more whistleblowers from the Secret Service than I do anywhere else. And if you look at that department and agency, it's the one place you can never, ever, ever make a mistake - ever.

From December 2007 through June 2009, average federal employee salaries increased by 6.6 percent, while average private-sector salaries increased by 3.9 percent.

From the time I roll out of the cot at 6 A.M. to the time I fall asleep after midnight, I get to do what I love nonstop.

I would support eliminating certain tax breaks that are not economically justifiable if they are offset with reductions in tax rates.

I think the American public wants to see a change. They want a fresh start.

I think what we're going to hear is that we didn't meet the basic, minimum standards required for a facility such as the one we had in Benghazi. And the request for more security personnel went unheeded, unanswered, and consequently, you know, you have the death of four Americans.

I went to Brigham Young University on a football scholarship. I wasn't a football player; I was a place kicker.

Our Strategic Petroleum Reserve is there for a natural disaster or some other catastrophe.

People have seen me fighting everything from 'Fast and Furious' to the IRS on Planned Parenthood to a host of things, Benghazi and others.

My mother, she passed away when I was 28 years old. She fought cancer for more than 10 years. She had breast cancer, and I miss her.

It doesn't take a lot of seniority to vote the way you promised to vote.

I think, from the broad political spectrum, not just the Freedom Caucus, I think there is a need for internal reform that is how we bring bills up, getting back to regular order, how we offer amendments or don't offer amendments.

I think I've earned a reputation of being fair and that I'll hear all sides from the entire political spectrum.

The American people deserve a blueprint for policymaking that is built upon the Constitution of the United States and the principles of fiscal discipline, limited government, accountability, and a strong national defense.

My challenge to members on both sides of the aisle is to stand up and have the integrity to say that we have a dead U.S. agent; we have a Department of Justice that lied to Congress.

While the deficit and debt are serious problems, I oppose solving these problems by raising taxes.

When Steny Hoyer brings up a resolution to support and recognize the University of Maryland men's basketball team - I'm not making this up - before we even had March madness, then you just know that it's just political favoritism.

When your economy is subject to the whims of Libya and Nigeria and Venezuela, you have a problem.

Well, look, I'm as Tea Party as it gets.

When you're on a football scholarship, you get a stipend that's supposed to cover your rent and a few incidentals. It was $360 a month. This was the late 1980s, and the NCAA has an interesting rule where you're not allowed to supplement your income with a part-time job.

When determining appropriate levels of compensation, management must determine if the employee turnover rate is too low, too high, or just right. If turnover rate is high enough to adversely impact the entity's performance, then employee compensation is probably too low.

What is the government doing or not doing in terms of tracking you, following you, investigating you? And if you're suspicionless, it should be none of the above.

What I don't want to become numb to is wasting those taxpayer dollars.

We have got a - we've got a good federal work force, but we have too many people, and we're paying them too much money.

There has to be a better, smarter way to authenticate who somebody is. Social Security numbers are floating out there everywhere.

Every time we spend a federal dollar, what we're doing is we're pulling money out of somebody's pocket, and we're giving it to somebody else.

There should be a pathway to citizenship - not a special pathway and not no pathway.

The time has come for President Obama to formally rescind his order to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and end his irresponsible allegations of injustices at the facility, which operates in a framework that respects the rule of law, keeps terrorists off American soil, and bolsters our national security.

A dash of frugality is a good thing for everyone.

Now I get a very nice salary as a member of Congress, but when I'm in Washington, I sleep in my office.

CNN has given me a platform to share my experiences. My Web site, YouTube Channel and Facebook page have exposed me to thousands of voters who share my concerns. My lack of seniority has not impeded my ability to communicate in any way.

You've got to speak; you've got to be able to articulate the Republican message to the American people and take that fight to the president, but you also have to bridge internally.

You shouldn't turn on C-SPAN to get your sports update.

The White House has been noticeably schizophrenic on Guantanamo.

Data indicate that taxpayers may be paying their public servants more than a little too much.

You tell people that the NFL is a nonprofit entity, and they just start laughing and giggling. But it's not fair.

The biggest problem that we have on the face of the planet is Iran getting a nuclear weapon.

I want to cut - personally, I want to cut spending. Personally, I just don't believe we can continue to add to the deficit. So, actually, personally, I like the budget cap.

I want to fight and win the war on cancer.

I want to see overwhelming force repel anybody who is trying to get into the White House.

I'm not scared of diversity. We have to have debates and win the argument, and if there are amendments that need to be brought up so we find out where the party is, so be it.

I'm not going to sit for some painting. That's so 1800s. I'm not doing that.

I'm trying to unify us internally so that we can - instead of firing on each other - fire on the Democrats and communicate a message and start talking about issues.

I have the greatest respect and admiration for Congressman Issa, but I don't intend to be Darrell Issa-like.

I ran for Congress because I want to help change the way we do business in Washington, D.C.

In addition to higher pay, federal government employment is far more secure than private-sector employment.

I have worked closely with my Democratic allies. Elijah Cummings is a good friend.

High tax rates distort economic decision making, and our corporate income tax rate is one of the highest in the world.

I didn't plan on running for speaker, but I don't see anyone else stepping up. I know I'm the underdog.

Government is not being honest with taxpayers when it renews existing tax breaks and calls them new tax cuts.

The fundamental problem is that President Obama has grown government. He has grown the private sector jobs.