taxpayer money is on the line here.

Are we or are we not? Is the State Department fully committed to transparency, full transparency and accountability, to the taxpayers of the United States?

I don't leave this hearing with any confidence that the program in front of us with $1 billion being planned in expenditures over the next several years has the slightest chance of being effective.

If you can't measure it, it is not real as far as I am concerned.

I think, as Mr. Yates was pointing out, it is just a little fee, a little fee, a little bit here, a little bit there, and the next thing you know, you are talking about something that is a barrier to being able to do what the consumer…

it is also important because it is a provider of jobs.

it provides affordable housing for thousands of people all across my district.

manufactured housing is very important to us here in Southside for two reasons.

I think the passage of this will increase addiction gambling and I think it will increase suicide and I think the Congress will rue the day if it ever passes.

Gambling is harmful activity, and study after study has shown that many in our society there is no question it is strongly addictive.

What can we do to put these folks back to work? What kind of hope, what kind of positive message?

Our Governor has made it a clear statement on his mind that he wants to make Virginia the energy capital of the East Coast.

We recognize that we need to diversify our economy and need to diversify our economy in a rapid way if we are going to be able to continue to move Virginia forward.

To me there is nothing more basic that drives this economy than energy.

79 percent of those respondents from Virginia were in favor of developing our offshore resources.

I hope that during my 6 years here in the Senate... I'll have an opportunity to watch as America's space program remains a leader in the 21st century.

There's no replacement for our country in the world.

I think you make a very, very good point that we need to move back from $729,000 to $625,000.