Kevin McCarthy Quotes

The whip's office is almost more educational - educating members on the bill itself, listening to members ahead of time.

I started my first business when I was 19. I learned a valuable lesson as a small business owner. You are the first one to work, last one to leave, and last one to be paid.

If we engage in a conflict that we know this is a threat to America, we should make it so one-sided that it gets over very quickly.

When gross public debt exceeds 90 percent of GDP, economic growth tends to decline considerably.

Once our country is fully engulfed in a debt crisis, our economy will be torn apart, and every American will be a victim of the federal government's failure to prevent this disaster.

When kids start school, families often have little choice over where they can go. Sometimes, children are forced into a failing school simply because their parents live in a certain district, and that school is the only option.

I believe the Constitution matters: that it's not just a few pieces of paper.

The best thing for the American public is that we do our job. That Washington changes. That the Senate and the House get together and fix their differences and find common ground.

Despite support from a majority of Americans, a majority of the House of Representatives, and a majority of the Senate, Keystone XL is stuck - stalled by special-interest politics.

If Russia wants to use energy as a weapon against our friends and allies, let's use our resources to set them free.

When it comes to tyrants, dictators and terrorists, strength and the threat of force is the only language they understand.

The first priority of the Republican majority is the security of Americans.

Every American, whether Democrat or Republican, agrees that job creation and affordable energy will be crucial to our economic turnaround.

Reagan was president and had Democrats control the House and Senate, and they reformed the tax code. Clinton was president, and he had Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole; they reformed welfare and balanced the budget.

The simple truth is that the implementation of Obamacare has hurt Americans and their health care more than it has helped.

If you're in the minority, every advantage is against you, right? So the only advantage you have against the majority is they're too lazy to know their own rules, right? So it's like a game of poker.

Together, we can create something new, something bold, and something to act as a check and balance to Washington's out-of-touch agenda.

I don't come from an Ivy League school or anywhere else.

Outside of the family, education is the greatest determinant of social mobility.

America is nation of people striving to make life better for themselves and for their families.

It's not easy for the average family to ensure that their child receives a quality education. And the federal government is not making it any easier.

I'm a conservative. I believe in the idea of freedom and liberty, but more importantly, look at my voting background. I voted against bailing out Wall Street. I voted against, never voted for, a tax increase.

It's the old Washington fiscal game of Jenga. You try to build as much debt as you can take, as much tax as you can take, until you topple the entire economy.

Fortunately, there is a project that will create jobs, provide direct investment in our economy, and move us closer to our longstanding goal of becoming energy independent: the Keystone XL pipeline.

The principles that should guide American foreign policy are simple: the world is safer when America leads, only strength ensures peace and freedom, and America must stand with its allies and challenge its adversaries.

We know the Constitution gives the purse strings to the House.

We're going to do tax reform to let people keep more of what they earn, grow an economy, and be able to save for your children's future and buy a new house.

The challenge has been, we make policy in the world of politics.

Working at a restaurant is a tough gig.

I do believe in the free market.

I met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, visited our allies in the Arab Gulf, traveled to Tunisia and Iraq, met with President Petro Poroshenko in Ukraine, and visited our allies in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.

America needs education reform on all levels to expand quality schools, build on past successes, and lower college debt.

Politically correct speech will not defeat the enemy.

The edge of a black hole, the event horizon, is a boundary that marks the point of no return. Once an object crosses the event horizon, it cannot escape and will be ripped to pieces, atom by atom.

You have to reform the visa program. The chain migration system doesn't work. You need a guest workers program.

For years now, long before I became House majority leader, I have been passionate about foreign affairs because I believe that anyone who leads in Washington must appreciate the significance of America's role in providing for global security and prosperity.

I'm on record saying nothing about immigration until we secure the borders. The borders are not secure.

There's a staircase on the first floor of the Capitol that I walk every day. It's made of marble, and as you walk those steps, you think of those who've walked before you. You think of the challenges that the country's faced.

Budgets are blueprints and priorities.

I don't want to become Washington.

I started a deli when I was 19 years old. Kevin O's. The sandwiches at Kevin O's were a little like Subway before Subway - fresh baked bread. My best seller was turkey with cream cheese and artichoke hearts. I just made it up.

We have the best-trained military in the world.

I think there are changes in the environment. There are a lot of items to contribute to it.

Peace comes through strength, not through retreat.

The only way that I can do better than someone else, maybe they're better at something else, but they'll never beat me at work.

There are two different types of leader. A person can either be like a thermometer or a thermostat. A thermometer will tell you what the temperature is. A thermostat will not only tell you what the temperature is, but it'll move you to the temperature you need to get to.

My wife Judy and I have two kids: Connor, 17, and Meghan, who is 14. My wife and I no longer worry about what we become - we are worried about what our children become.

I believe any time that both parties are talking, it's a good thing.

You can't serve on every committee. But you can know what happened, what the debate was, who said what.

I think there's an ability to make an immigration system that works.

Our government has failed us. From the billion-dollar bailouts to the 'stimulus' package that failed to stimulate to the government takeover of health care, you cried 'Stop!' ... but the Democratic Majority in Washington has refused to listen.

Keystone will deliver 830,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada, North Dakota, and Montana to Gulf Coast refineries.

I believe you can work with anybody.

I believe in a free market of ideas and not shying away from debate.

Life in the restaurant business can provide a start in the working world for young people or a stable living for many Americans and their families.

Many times, we spend so much time on policy, but we don't explain how the policy affects and makes the heart even grow bigger. And I think that's a place that we have to look inside.

Servers make very little in regular wages and largely rely on tips to pay the bills and budget for weeks ahead.

I think it's undignified if you don't do your job.

We pledge to you that we will create jobs. End economic uncertainty and make America more competitive. We will cut Washington wasteful spending and reduce the size of government. And we will reform Congress and restore your trust in government.

We're going to have to control the spending of government.

In addition to billions in new 'stimulus' spending that our country can't afford, the Geithner plan also contains billions in tax increases on small and family-owned businesses while protecting the tax preferences of wealthy, multinational corporations.

My family was not Republicans. I'm the youngest. I came to this party based upon choice.

Most accountants will tell you the majority of small businesses run as an S Corporation.

As any small business owner knows, starting a business is not glamorous work.

In Washington, we've seen enough tax hikes, government takeovers, bailouts, and other big government solutions under Speaker Pelosi's control.

I want a leader that sets out a path. I want one that doesn't just talk about cuts, but talks about the shining city on the hill. We're only going to get out of this problem if we grow this economy.

Many times, the Senate talks of things and never gets anything through.

How we fund transportation in this country is broken. You all pay a gasoline tax, right? Well, cars go farther, we get electric cars, and so on. And then we do more with the money than just build roads. We do bike lanes and mass transit.

For restaurants that have a minimum gratuity charge on large groups, the IRS will now count those tips as regular wages rather than traditional tips that we are all familiar with when we dine out. Ask any server, and they will tell you that this will directly affect their day-to-day lifestyle.

I believe in being a happy conservative: that you're happy because your policies will give people greater freedom, greater independence. But you have to explain why your policy makes life better.

I like to be around people, so I ended up being roommates, right? I had a house. I lived with four guys.