I think, before we go forward and talk about where we want to go, it is important to know how we got to where we are today.

It is unacceptable that each and every year, millionaires, billionaires, and profitable corporations avoid $100 billion in taxes.

do we ask those people who are doing extremely well to start paying their fair share of taxes so that we can invest in our economy and reduce the deficit

While we must continue to focus on the Federal deficit, we must also be aware that there are other deficits in our society that are causing horrendous pain for the vast majority of the American people.

Is it not correct that if we did nothing more than restore the income and capital gains tax rates to where they were in 2000 for the wealthiest two percent of Americans earning $250,000 a year or more, that we could raise more than $200…

Well, thank you very much, Chairman Enzi. Congratulations on your assuming the Chairmanship of this important committee.

I think that, frankly, that set of priorities does not make sense to me.

Today, if you can believe it, the top one-tenth of one percent own almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent.

The United States has by far the highest rate of childhood poverty of any major country on earth.

We have got to move aggressively to expand benefits for our Social Security beneficiaries.

According to a November 2014 CBO report, the income of the wealthiest one percent of Americans has risen 200 percent since 1979 at the same time that their income tax rates have fallen.

I did not vote to go to that war in Iraq. I did not go to war in Iraq.

It is unacceptable to people throughout this country that millions of our young people cannot afford to go to college.

The bottom line to me, Mr. Chairman, is when we put people to work, when we have the best educated workforce in the world, people will be paying more taxes.

We need to substantially increase wages for low- and middle-income workers.

Now, I think the President's budget begins to address some of these issues.

At a time when almost all of the new income gains go to the top one percent and when corporate profits are at an all-time high, the President's effort to end egregious tax loopholes that benefit the wealthy and large corporations while…

The United States today has more income and wealth inequality than at any time since the Great Depression.