Jacob J. Lew

I don't think Social Security and Medicare should be cut, you know, to take away from people what they need and what they have been promised.

I think that one of the reasons tax reform is so hard to do is that it does impose burdens to close loopholes.

The immediate need is for Congress to pass legislation that will permit them to restructure their debt.

Three-and-a-half million Americans, including veterans, deserve our immediate attention.

We inherited what was an economy and a budget that was in complete meltdown.

When we took office, the projections were the debt was going to grow to over 100 percent of GDP.

If the intellectual content and the innovation is in the United States, there is a substantial tax due in the United States when that money comes home.

We can't just cut the things that we need to grow in order to reduce the deficit more in the short run.

I think right now, when you look at what our debt is, our deficit, annual deficit, is essentially interest on the debt.

I don't think there is an urgent crisis. I don't think Americans should worry that their Social Security won't be there.

I have always thought that the sooner we could have a bipartisan conversation on dealing with Social Security, the better.

We need to support the people at the IRS so that they can run a tax system that is worthy of our country.