We will not win the War on Poverty by adopting budget proposals that reverse the modest gains we have made.

So the real question before us is whether we are looking to lift more people out of poverty, or are we more concerned with minimizing the cost of some of these programs in order to protect tax breaks for special interest and the very…

I must confess I find the timing of this hearing particularly strange.

I could not agree more that we should take our existing resources and channel them to programs that work.

I asked him specifically on Medicaid, does he show any significant work disincentive as a result of Medicaid? And his answer was 'No.'

It was a very stark example of misplaced priorities.

It's time to do the hard work needed to put in place a fiscally responsible budget that adopts the balanced approach recommended by bipartisan groups.

Why are Republicans making such deep cuts to programs that help so many? Because their lopsided approach to the budget plan refuses to ask the wealthiest Americans to pay one penny more for the purpose of deficit reduction.

if you look at the Republican budget, it dramatically cuts, not reforms, it dramatically cuts a lot of those important supports that have helped that poverty level come down

I have not heard any testimony today that actually goes out to propose specific changes.

the number I was giving you was for able-bodied adults. Did not include the elderly and kids.

I think now it is agreed by every member of this Committee that the TSCA law today doesn't work. It is broken. It is not protecting the public. And we have a responsibility to act.

Let's make sure we get it right this time, because it may be 37 years before we get back to it again.

We need to deal with asbestos, for goodness sake. We need to ban asbestos.

We have a responsibility to pass a framework to protect the public from these toxins.

The case is so persuasive. The case is so obvious.

I could cite many examples of concerns that we have, and we could talk about BPA in plastics and baby bottles that has been brought to national attention.

I would not want to see us pass legislation that would prevent our State from protecting our citizens.