The accountability and transparency pieces of the legislation are not only important, they are critical.

It is critical that we continue to have these oversight hearings to do everything we can to hold VA's feet to the fire and make sure that accountability is there.

I need more money. I need to be bigger, faster, grander. I need a bigger bureaucracy. I need to hire more people.

The White House needs to have a more visible role in addressing the crisis.

The notion that employment should be tied to performance might seem elementary to most people, but this has not been happening at the VA.

The proportion of Americans in the labor force is now less than 63 percent.

This is the third time you have been before the Committee--once as a nominee and now twice in your role as Chair.

I was then and I still am concerned that the risk of quantitative easing outweighs the benefits.

You are uncompromising in your fairness toward the members, and I appreciate that.

Those are pretty darn good odds. The chances are you are not going to get deported.

The chances of ever being deported and sent back home are slim to none.

I think, as you said, the U.S. taxpayers continue to be very much on the hook and at risk as we do nothing to reform our system and maintain the current structure in which we have Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under U.S. Government control.

As an individual investor, then, do I benefit?

Millions of Americans have warmed up to this idea and they like it.

But, I may want the five-dollar execution.

I want a five-dollar trade. What is wrong with that?

We should be darn sure about what we are doing, because it could have some economic consequences.

We need the SEC out there to lead this effort.

Maybe more of an observation than a question, and here would be my observation.

But, let me ask you about that. You talked about sub-penny price improvement. Tell me, just as straightforward as you can, does Mr. Brooks win with that?

A future Congress needs to be careful and thoughtful about how they are going to figure this out.

I want to pay my five dollars for a trade. I want to give--I want to get access to all of the information they can give me.

There is not much limitation under the law. You can request up to 12 percent of the Federal Reserve's operating budget, and the expenses must be reasonably necessary to carry out your functions.

I am one of those Senators who has taken the position and argued for some time that there should be greater oversight over your budget process.

I am just saying we are buying top-dollar design and construction at a time that we do not have the money to pay for it.