I want to thank you for your words of bipartisanship.

I certainly share the concern about clarity and transparency with the Congress as we move forward on the removal of our combat troops from Afghanistan.

Good governance is important. Over these years, many of us have expressed concern, frustration about the corruption of the Afghan Government.

For the Afghan people to have a reasonable chance for a stable government--Senator Corker is right--they have to have a secure country.

The removal of the international military presence is going to have a major impact on the economy of Afghanistan.

I think every member of this committee wants to see more clarity on how the decisions are being made on troop levels as we go into this critical year.

What steps are we taking, in addition to the election process, to improve the governance in Afghanistan so that there is confidence among the people of Afghanistan that they are being treated fairly?

Governance is extremely important and the corruption issue I would point out I think we have not taken aggressive enough steps during these years to give a better opportunity for good governance.

Was there not a requirement that they be licensed before they could make a bid?

Our concern is access and that there be access to both the Medicare and Medicaid population.

I agree that we have two issues we have to deal with. One is the elimination of the SGR, but then, also, what do we replace it with?

I could not be more proud to be here on behalf of Judge Wilkins.

I would urge the Committee to favorably recommend his confirmation to the U.S. Senate.

I am hopeful that the Congress will take up S. 1038, the End Racial Profiling Act.

Medicaid is an important program. We view it as a critical safety net that provides healthcare coverage for those individuals who have been shut out of private insurance.

We are talking about a program that covers children and adults with disabilities, and pays for nearly half of all long-term care services.

If you cut Medicaid, that is essentially cutting jobs. Medicaid stimulates the economy.

The Affordable Care Act, as we know, includes an expansion of the Medicaid program to include more low-income adults.