U.S. State Attorneys General

Who made these decisions that got four Americans killed?

That is why I gave you guys a back door to walk out of. You weren't decision makers, but somebody was.

Are we really willing to stand up and protect the individual freedoms and liberties of the American people when the die is cast?

To say that we had no warning when clearly there were requests for increased security... represents absolute failure on someone's part.

The problem is that each one comes with a waiver. And the problem with waivers is that invariably they are exercised, and it is that that needs to be stopped.

At what point do we wake up and say, you know what, we are cutting off your allowance.

I have never been able to buy off people who have evil intents by just giving them money. It kind of emboldens them.

I don't think history plays out that way. In fact, I think it is attributed to Einstein that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.

It's worse -- this alternative going past the deadline is worse than -- may be worse than what will happen to Americans with disabilities and our older Americans if I don't stand firm and fight for them at this time.

I will not sacrifice the interests of seniors and low-income, poor Americans with disabilities just to come up with some deal.

We're not going to stand back and let seniors, people with disabilities, most low-income vulnerable people in this country, bear the brunt of this fiscal entanglement.

They are being punished for something they never did.

It is the excessive and overly burdensome regulation that we are concerned with.

The idea that people on this side of the aisle are anti-regulations per se is just nonsense.

I want them to have clean air, and I want them to have clean water.

The DI shortfall, by the way, is not a surprise.

How do we make the Social Security Administration, working with this Disability Insurance Program, be as effective as possible partnering with the business community

We have to remember that this is a population that has a disability severe enough that in many cases, as I think Miss Ford mentioned, many of them die within a few years of applying for the benefit.

It is not easy to qualify for Social Security disability benefits.

Severely disabled American workers have earned the right to receive disability benefits and they rely on them.

I know it seems like it is somewhat rare to get a chance to come together on a bipartisan basis to do something good for the American people.

Well, that is probably one of the most important things that can come out of this hearing, is an assurance that, one way or the other, as we move forward on this transition, that no American is going to be left behind.

But our number-one goal should be to make sure that every single American receives the Social Security benefits that he or she earned on time and in full.

Isn't it the fact that if there is some legitimate government interest to somehow take a different tack on defining what a religious organization is, doesn't the First Amendment still trump all that?