Top 65 Quotes & Sayings by Jeff Fortenberry

The strength of the nation ultimately depends upon the strength of family and community.

If one group of people can exterminate another in the name of so-called religion, the world has no hope.

The tax code is weighted toward the ultra-wealthy and ultra-wealthy corporations and has created an offshore aristocracy of people who can afford to hire an army of accountants and lawyers. This shifts the tax burden to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and others.

Fiscal discipline can turn the economy around.

Communities are suffering, children are suffering, and our immigration policy appears in disarray.

Simply looking at the status quo and suggesting that the tax code is sacrosanct and can never change, and that decisions made in the '80s and '90s can never change, is absurd.

So many young people are coming out of a generation that has experienced deep woundedness and brokenness, and they are full of life. They are eager to engage. They care about community, and they care about one another.

My responsibility is to make judgments about hard, complex issues that I believe to be right.

It's particularly incumbent in the Middle East on Sunni Arab nations to fight for values, to fight for the protection of innocent life, to fight for the principles of civilization and stability and order itself.

To simply demand that Assad go, and create a vacuum, could make the circumstances worse. To 'protect' Assad and his brutality is unconscionable. So you have to have a transition period here.

Congress must demonstrate fiscal responsibility.

There is a need for a vision that's compelling and uplifting, especially in a time when people are worried. At the same time, in this era, hard work and lofty rhetoric are not going to compel you to the presidency.

Christianity in the Middle East is shattered. The ancient faith tradition lies beaten, broken, and dying.

From all indications, the Offutt runway replacement is not a matter of 'if.' It is a matter of 'when.'

My first responsibility is to keep America safe.

I belong to the political party that generally fits my philosophical beliefs, but I reserve the right to vote my conscience after careful deliberation. My voting record reflects this.

Christians, Yezidis, and other religious minorities have every right to remain in their ancestral homelands.

You cannot classify a whole group of people based upon their religion and determine their intent. That's not fair. It's not American.

If it comes out of Congress, I think it has traction in America.

Respect and a gentlemanly character - those are marks of a Nebraskan.

The high-flying rhetoric of 'Making America Great Again' frankly appeals to me. It appeals to many people. But you've got to back that up with substance, and you've got to quit offending people who may not agree with you.

I wanted the opportunity to play for Tom Osborne. Here we are in the locker room at half-time, gathering around Coach Osborne. It grows quiet, and I'll never forget what he said. He said, 'Let's get this over with.'

The promise of peace seems very far away, but you keep working steadily with good and uplifting attitudes, and that's sometimes tough in the environment we're in.

What if we thought of health and security in retirement as one basket?

My degree in theology was an important part of my formation.

The House of Representatives should not be locked down by the decided play of a few in leadership.

For Nebraska and for America, I will continue my commitment to our national security, economic security, and family security.

I would like to see Donald Trump lay out specifics on an economic agenda that are realistic, that are small-business focused.

Donald Trump has not yet earned my vote. And I'm not simply going to say 'never,' because I do not want to empower Hillary Clinton.

It is my belief there is too much concentration of power and spending in Washington.

Government has a rightful role, but not an excessive role, to play.

You want stability in the world, you have to start with values.

What Trump has done is tap into a deep-seated anxiety about where the country is headed. There is an anxiety that is real and sincere. Many people feel helpless.

By keeping your eye on the ultimate goal, you lean into the mess and try to make the outcome a little better.

We're living in a time where I think most people are wanting someone to invite them respectfully to a policy position, not try to just slash and burn the other person.

We need to stop this overspending. We need to start turning this battleship in the right direction. And we all have to share in the sacrifice.

I reserve the right to survey the national political landscape for candidates at all levels who reflect a proper understanding of our national security, economic security, and family security - the ideals of social conservation, the heart and strength of our country.

The responsible use of earmarks can have public benefits.

We must continue to foster relevant and constructive dialogue among Israeli and Palestinian communities.

While the agreement provides a level of constraint on Iran's nuclear weapons program, it confers legitimacy on their nuclear threshold status, an unprecedented shift for a country with so many entanglements.

With the consent of the people, I will seek to continue service in Congress for the well-being of our state and our nation.

We need to reinstate the idea of federalism.

I don't fund county roads.

No one should have to live in fear.

Considering community support and cost-benefit analysis, I have supported earmarks for projects of high public purpose involving such areas as higher education, alternative energy, transportation, medical research and military infrastructure.

Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery. It is a scourge for humanity, and America must project its values and protect vulnerable persons.

The consequence of shutting down the government was not healthy.

People need to make their voices heard in an orderly fashion.

We need a new health care architecture that will reduce costs, improve outcomes, and protect vulnerable persons.

There's nothing wrong in America that can't be fixed by what's right in America.

Some states like Nebraska have thus far responsibly managed their budgets, even in tough times, and I could not ask Nebraskans to pay for poor governance elsewhere.

Based on my experience, I believe that Ben Sasse has the right policy background, a notable commitment to public service - and, perhaps most importantly, the courage - to help renew our country.

When you're just focused on nutrition and hunger, that's a harder, harder lift in isolation.

I'm proud to be able to represent Bellevue and the Offutt and StratCom communities.

Shifting loyalties in the Middle East make it difficult to vet supposed moderate groups.

That sacred space of conscience where you can exercise your rights in terms of religious freedom and deeply-held, reasonable beliefs is the core of human dignity. In fact, that's the basis for civilization itself. And when you lose that fundamental principle... you have no basis on which to build.

I used to be on the Lincoln City Council. You learn that there's never enough money for all of the police officers and fire-fighting apparatus you'd like to have.

I thought incorporating Columbus and Platte County into the 1st District was a good idea.

You cannot deny reality: that ISIS is systematically attempting to exterminate Christianity, to exterminate the Yazidi community, to exterminate other religious minorities in vast areas in Iraq and Syria.

A rapidly expanding Syrian refugee policy could create conditions for domestic tragedy.