During the last Congress, we proved that it is possible to undertake significant entitlement reform without undermining bedrock benefits upon which the American people rely, eliminating $500 billion in wasteful spending while shoring up…

Our current fiscal policy is unsustainable. The simple fact of the matter is that we are currently spending far more than we are bringing in.

I support a five year discretionary spending freeze that will reduce the overall cost of government relative to the economy.

We are, frankly, on an unsustainable path right now, where we're borrowing 42 cents on every dollar that we spend.

One of my top priorities in Congress is to ensure that our young people and non-traditional students have access to an affordable and internationally competitive education.

What we have now is a spike that frankly was, in my judgment, horribly over-promised.

We want to learn about the polices that may be standing in the way of job creation, right here in Utica.

I'm not trying to turn all colleges and universities into trade schools, let me be clear about that, but I do think that we're missing the connection in many cases between students graduating and what we need in the workplace.

I think your quote was, Mr. Picente, your quote was neither easy nor quick.

As we work to foster a growing economy, hearing directly from folks who see challenges and opportunities in our schools and workplaces will help us make sure Washington does not block the road to growth and prosperity.

It has become even more important to ensure young adults have the tools necessary to stand out in this competitive job market.

These are tough times, and despite recent improvements in the national unemployment rate, our economic recovery remains uncertain.

As we work to foster our growing economy, hearing directly from folks who see challenges and opportunities in our schools and workplaces will help us make sure Washington does not block the road to growth and prosperity.

I implore this committee to judge the merits of community and private two year colleges.

A student's success in the classroom will help determine his or her success in the workplace.

We can't continue to chase that every increasing tuition and fees cost with more and more federal dollars that we don't have.

I think you can have some confidence that the Pell program will be there, not so much confidence that it's going to keep going like it has been going.

Understanding the challenges and opportunities facing local communities is critical to ensuring Washington does not stand in the way of growth and prosperity.