This decision has been perplexing to many of the automobile dealers in my State.

I think when Bear Stearns failed, its leverage ratio was an astonishing 30:1.

It troubles me that banks have received billions of dollars without having to demonstrate that they've increased lending.

I am troubled that the President's budget proposes to double the debt in 5 years and triple it in 10.

I would argue that the credit default swaps were more like an insurance product.

Worse, the deficit level will be rising--not shrinking--toward the end of the 10-year period, reaching 5.7 percent in 2019.

As a result of the hearings that we held, Senator Lieberman and I introduced a bill that directed the CFTC to establish position limits.

I don't see, on the grassroots level, the benefits of putting billions of dollars into financial institutions.

We need a system where just because a product is new does not mean that it falls into a regulatory black hole.

I cannot imagine a federally or State-chartered bank being allowed to have a leverage ratio of 30:1.

What our hearings demonstrated was that speculation in the commodities markets by noncommercial investors... has grown enormously from 2003 to 2008.

I know that in my State, I've seen thousands of individuals who have seen their retirement nest eggs shrink.

What I'm thinking of is there is a problem with foreign exchanges and what rules they're going to play by.

I want to salute you for your leadership in securing significant increases for both these agencies during your chairmanship of this subcommittee.

I look forward to working with both of you, and with Chairman Durbin to ensure that you have the resources and the tools you need to ensure investors are protected and that markets are functioning properly.

I personally believe that they're still underfunded and that more work needs to be done.

Protecting investors is more compelling than ever since many first-time investors have turned to the markets to help secure their retirements.

The Department's response to the GAO report sounds like a turf battle to me rather than focusing on what the objectives should be.