Would an issue of this magnitude or this repetition or this seriousness be brought to the attention of individual Commissioners or the Commission?

This is a singular act of patriotism.

If we seek subpoena power, we would go to the Commission.

What steps will you take to improve the quality of the laboratories' technical workforce and research infrastructure?

This is an interagency effort, that military action will buy time, but without effective economic development, political institution capacity-building, it will be a very difficult challenge ahead.

One is with a very bloody toolbox comprised of benefits cuts, throwing people off coverage, paying providers less, and raising taxes.

We are on a very bad glide slope for health care in this country with a $30-plus trillion liability just for Federal health care benefits that is totally unfunded.

Those of us who have been watching this thing for a while have seen this number move.

if we do not get this solved through technology, through systems reform, through better quality care, through a more rational payment system, then we will get to the edge of that cliff.

Now the model is Thelma and Louise, and we are all in the car, and the cliff is right in front of us.

Take diabetes alone. I think that is probably a chronic illness for which having good tools for patients would clearly benefit patients and reduce costs and improve quality of life.

One of the things that I come across pretty frequently...is that when people have chronic or multiple illnesses...their appetite for electronic health records is very high.

it is going to be a nightmare.

The success of that Chronic Care Model is completely dependent upon payment reform.

I could not agree with you more about that.

Thirty-plus trillion dollars is an astonishing liability to have to face, and I believe that there are only two ways to face it.

We have, during my brief tenure on this Committee, over and over again seen alarming, appalling leaks of classified information.

My experience is that over and over and over again we've seen official secrecy used not for national security purposes but to mislead the public and to frame or more particularly mis-frame an outside political debate.