No matter what we do, these health care challenges are going to require buy-in from all sides.

We live in an increasingly complex and dangerous world that demands U.S. leadership.

We need systemic change, and the Affordable Care Act takes steps in this direction.

A strong diplomatic presence is essential to preserving the United States' positive influence and leadership.

Both sides have acknowledged that tax reform is important and necessary, and we should use it as a mechanism to avoid the sequester in a balanced way by generating revenue and implementing more responsible spending cuts.

My time is running out. So were you familiar with H.R. 1859, which is the Campbell-Peters bill, in the last Congress? Could you comment on that approach, Dr. Wachter?

I am more interested in the future than I am in the past.

Let's focus our efforts on the fundamental problem that is going to drive our deficit in the long-term: rapidly rising health care costs.

Irresponsible cuts to the Agency are shortsighted and will put our recovery at risk.

It is imperative for this Congress to place renewed focus on our infrastructure and that we enact a long-term, fully financed transportation authorization.

Right now, we are on a course, frankly, that nobody wants.

The longer we wait, the harder it will be to fix the problem.

As people in Delaware tell me: that's stupid.

Our piecemeal efforts have yielded more than $3 in spending cuts for every $1 in revenue.

The right approach is to make systemic changes to our health care system that incentivizes doctors to provide quality over quantity.

Some of the cuts we have made, particularly through sequestration, will hurt a broad array of important programs that help grow our economy in the long term.

All the nonpartisan experts agree that more revenue needs to be part of the plan.

The idea that if we short-circuit the recovery now then that is going to have that negative impact on the long-term.