--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a trip is worth taking, members of…" description: "\"If a trip is worth taking, members of Congress should be prepared to justify paying for it out of their office accounts.\" — Russ Feingold" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/russ-feingold-9239_accounts_if-a-trip-is-worth-taking-members-of-con_137106.png" --- # If a trip is worth taking, members of Congress should be… ![“If a trip is worth taking, members of Congress should be prepared to justify paying for it out of their office accounts.” quote by Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/russ-feingold-9239_accounts_if-a-trip-is-worth-taking-members-of-con_137106.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/russ-feingold-9239_accounts_if-a-trip-is-worth-taking-members-of-con_137106.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/russ-feingold-9239_accounts_if-a-trip-is-worth-taking-members-of-con_137106.png) > “If a trip is worth taking, members of Congress should be prepared to justify paying for it out of their office accounts.” [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Public officials must justify expenses as taxpayers, ensuring accountability and transparency. **In simple terms:** Politicians should explain why they spend public money. Key Takeaway Demand clear justification for government spending. Themes accountability politics taxes Mood critical skeptical Type political ethical When to use this quote - budget reviews - taxpayer meetings - legislative audits - media scrutiny Key Concepts public finance ethical governance Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens enforce spending transparency? - What safeguards prevent misuse of funds? A Different Perspective Political pressure may limit full disclosure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) ## Related quotes > [If the House Republicans want to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they should make their case to the American people and elect a president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerrold-nadler/if-the-house-republicans-want-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act-they/) [Jerrold Nadler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerrold-nadler/) > [It's incumbent upon all members of Congress to support legislation that keeps us safe at home and abroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-fleischmann/it-s-incumbent-upon-all-members-of-congress-to-support-legislation/) [Chuck Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-fleischmann/) > [Everybody complains about pork, but members of Congress keep spending because voters do not throw them out of office for doing so. The rotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/everybody-complains-about-pork-but-members-of-congress-keep-spending/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [A lot of what is preventing us from getting things done on the federal level is that there is too much influence from special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gideon/a-lot-of-what-is-preventing-us-from-getting-things-done-on-the/) [Sara Gideon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gideon/) > [“I am convinced that if most members of Congress did their own taxes, we would have had tax reform long ago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-archer/i-am-convinced-that-if-most-members-of-congress-did-their-own-taxes/) Bill Archer > [You have to be local. You have to focus on your local members of Congress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-g-levin/you-have-to-be-local-you-have-to-focus-on-your-local-members-of/) [Ezra G. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-g-levin/) > [I request that they may be considered in confidence, until the members of Congress are fully possessed of their contents, and shall have had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/i-request-that-they-may-be-considered-in-confidence-until-the-members/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [If there's a distinct group of Americans who harbor open contempt for constitutional principles and rule of law, it's lawyers, judges and members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/if-there-s-a-distinct-group-of-americans-who-harbor-open-contempt-for/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) > [I haven't met a single person, Republican or Democrat, who thinks it's just fine for members of Congress to sit on the boards of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-malinowski/i-haven-t-met-a-single-person-republican-or-democrat-who-thinks-it-s/) [Tom Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-malinowski/) > [Congress is the third branch of government... which makes every one of the 535 members of Congress 1/535th of that important one-third, which works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-pruden/congress-is-the-third-branch-of-government-which-makes-every-one-of/) [Wesley Pruden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-pruden/) > [What is required from members of Congress and the public alike is a new spirit of devotion to the national welfare beyond party or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-bayh/what-is-required-from-members-of-congress-and-the-public-alike-is-a/) [Evan Bayh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-bayh/) > [WASHINGTON - Ever since President Obama ordered American warplanes to begin bombing terrorist targets in Iraq and Syria last year, members of Congress have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-baker/washington-ever-since-president-obama-ordered-american-warplanes-to/) [Peter Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-baker/) > [We have some of the most influential Members of Congress here today, and I do hope that we can get this appropriation for these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-have-some-of-the-most-influential-members-of-congress-here-today/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I firmly believe that if members of Congress fail to perform their most basic duty in passing a budget, then they do not deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schrader/i-firmly-believe-that-if-members-of-congress-fail-to-perform-their/) [Kurt Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schrader/) > [About one-half of the members of Congress are seekers for office at the nomination of the President. Of the remainder, at least one-half have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/about-one-half-of-the-members-of-congress-are-seekers-for-office-at/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) ## More by Russ Feingold > [When the President picks someone who is his ideological soul mate, that's his right, in my reading of "advise and consent." I do think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/when-the-president-picks-someone-who-is-his-ideological-soul-mate/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [The Democrats were in the majority in the U.S. Senate when we voted for the Iraq war and passed the U.S. Patriot Act. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/the-democrats-were-in-the-majority-in-the-u-s-senate-when-we-voted/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [Make no mistake, our military readiness is already suffering, ... According to a recent RAND study, the Army has been stretched so thin that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/make-no-mistake-our-military-readiness-is-already-suffering-according/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [The Wisconsin senator gets up and says out loud what half of the country is thinking and talks about every day. This President broke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/the-wisconsin-senator-gets-up-and-says-out-loud-what-half-of-the/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [The notion of American exceptionalism is effective in part because there is little on the face of it that is offensive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/the-notion-of-american-exceptionalism-is-effective-in-part-because/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [It is not only all right but necessary to stand up to George Bush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/it-is-not-only-all-right-but-necessary-to-stand-up-to-george-bush/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [The Tea Party ended up being a shill for corporate America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/the-tea-party-ended-up-being-a-shill-for-corporate-america/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [There is nothing more American than peaceful protest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/there-is-nothing-more-american-than-peaceful-protest/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [It's not enough to be in the majority, you have to stand for something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/it-s-not-enough-to-be-in-the-majority-you-have-to-stand-for-something/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [Occupy Wall Street is a real movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/occupy-wall-street-is-a-real-movement/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [Its the reality of a situation like this that when you have a large troop presence that it has the tendency to fuel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/its-the-reality-of-a-situation-like-this-that-when-you-have-a-large/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [I believe that the Israelis and the Palestinians, by and large, want peace, they each want their own country, and they want to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/i-believe-that-the-israelis-and-the-palestinians-by-and-large-want/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [I'm one of the only members of the U.S. Senate who isn't a millionaire. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with being a millionaire. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/i-m-one-of-the-only-members-of-the-u-s-senate-who-isn-t-a-millionaire/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [I don't worry too much about what people think about my image, but I think I am pretty polite. My colleagues say I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/i-don-t-worry-too-much-about-what-people-think-about-my-image-but-i/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [One can see the results of those policies in hundreds of communities around my State. As one might expect, our largest communities - places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/one-can-see-the-results-of-those-policies-in-hundreds-of-communities/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) [Explore all 74 Russ Feingold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) ## More Accounts quotes > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/) [Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/) > [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/) [Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) > [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/) [Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/) > [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [That surely must be a concern to anyone who decides this drug must be given to stop transmissions, again from mother to child, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/that-surely-must-be-a-concern-to-anyone-who-decides-this-drug-must-be/) [Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/) Browse all 2,677 Accounts quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If a trip is worth taking, members of Congress should be prepared to justify paying for it out of their office accounts.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Russ Feingold" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/if-a-trip-is-worth-taking-members-of-congress-should-be-prepared-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accounts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/if-a-trip-is-worth-taking-members-of-congress-should-be-prepared-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/russ-feingold-9239_accounts_if-a-trip-is-worth-taking-members-of-con_137106.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/russ-feingold-9239_accounts_if-a-trip-is-worth-taking-members-of-con_137106.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/russ-feingold-9239_accounts_if-a-trip-is-worth-taking-members-of-con_137106.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If a trip is worth taking, members of Congress should be prepared to justify paying for it out of their…” — Russ Feingold", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Russ Feingold", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If a trip is worth taking,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/if-a-trip-is-worth-taking-members-of-congress-should-be-prepared-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/if-a-trip-is-worth-taking-members-of-congress-should-be-prepared-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```