I believe it is vital for the Secretary, for his deputies, for senior White House officials, including the President and Vice President, to meet publicly with dissidents and human rights activists.

I intend to continue to highlight the importance of democracy and human rights as senior State Department nominees come before our committee for consideration.

Mr. President, the National Capital Region relies on DC Metrorail. Hundreds of thousands of commuters take it every day, including the Federal workforce. Visitors use it when they come to our Nation's Capital on vacations, school trips, or…

Democracies are less likely to produce terrorists or weapons of mass destruction because they provide outlets for dissent and they allow for diversity of opinion.

There are various indices, including the Economist Intelligence Unit, that measure the state of democracy in countries around the world.

The United States must not abandon them.

What network should there be around the world that would link the disparate democracies?

The best way to help refugees is to prevent them from becoming refugees in the first place.

advancing democracy and liberty should be reinforced as a priority in American foreign policy.

The political climate is such that the repeal of McCarran-Ferguson is likely.

I happen to believe that competition is good. That's our objective. It will help to hold down costs.

The EBT Interoperability and Portability Act (P.L. 106-171), signed into law in 2000, ensures that EBT transactions operate consistently from state to state.

Mr. Speaker, our country is experiencing a retirement security crisis. Nearly 40 million private sector workers do not have access to a retirement savings plan at their jobs. The data and research also show that many middle- and low-income…

Very good, our job is to authorize and fund that.

If the F-35 ramp rate for the Marine Corps is anemic, then I would say that the ramp rate for the Navy, the ramp rate has no pulse.

If confirmed as Administrator, I intend to work with States and Congress to improve Medicaid and implement the laws enacted by Congress.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us today.

I believe the possible plan to halt the DOE's loan programs completely... is a spectacularly bad idea.