Celia Israel: “I thank my very good friend from Maryland, the ranking member of our Budget Committee. I thank him for his leadership…”

“I thank my very good friend from Maryland, the ranking member of our Budget Committee. I thank him for his leadership, and for his common sense, and for advancing approaches that make the right investments in the right priorities in this country, investments that expand the middle class, investments that provide for a balanced approach and reduce our debt. Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose the RSC budget. As House Democrats, we believe that we need solutions-based budgets, not ideology-based budgets. We need solutions-based budgets that rest on three pillars: Number 1, they take a balanced approach and reduce debt, because we need to reduce debt, but do it in a balanced way. Number 2, they protect the middle class, because the middle class is still struggling. Make sure the middle class is protected. And Number 3, they make the right and smart investments in the right and smart priorities, that don't ask us to forsake research and cures and treatments for disease, that don't allow China to move ahead of us in research and development, engineering, science and technology, that keep us competitive in the world. The CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.”