I mean we are going to be living with budget caps through this entire period of time under the Budget Control Act.

Secretary Carter appeared before this committee a few weeks ago and confirmed that we are still spending $2 billion a week in Afghanistan.

These bills will not lead to new loopholes, these bills will not lead to lax regulation, and they will not lead to another Wall Street meltdown.

I think it is very important for us to emphasize that none of these bills, neither in spirit nor in letter, seek to undermine the regulatory regime prescribed by Title VII of Dodd-Frank.

I must say at the outset that it is somewhat unfortunate that we are trying to pack so much into one relatively brief hearing.

I am supportive of these bills that we are discussing today, because I think it is very important for us to emphasize that none of these bills, neither in spirit nor in letter, seek to undermine the regulatory regime prescribed by Title…

Can you give us an update on that memorandum, the state of the interim regulations, when they are going to be finalized?

I wanted to reiterate the comments of my colleagues about the importance of comprehensive immigration reform.

Both Senator Jeff Merkley and Representative Peter DeFazio have filed amicus briefs in this litigation.

If the Park Service was willing to work with people, this would not be here.

this bill should not have been here this year or last year. And it is another effort where the Park Service needs to deal with the local community in a much more rational way than we are doing right now.

The Park Service needs to prove that they deserve those 7 acres.

Only Harry Reid and his band of merry geezers can have that attitude.

The Park Service quotes a Michigan State study that says how they are pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into local communities by their presence being there. That is picking and choosing the criteria one more time.

You should be ashamed of your record of activity up there.

I am concerned that today we find ourselves investigating separate issues where there has been a failing of a federal agency to work cooperatively with local residents.

Your testimony you have given is a mass of platitudes that have no specific value.

This is not about policy, this is about personality.