Jeff Sessions

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for your leadership, and you and Senator Gregg for thinking very seriously about the challenge of our fiscal outlook and trying to do something about it.

I filed 20 or 30 civil rights cases to desegregate schools and political organizations and county commissions when I was United States Attorney.

We are not going to misrepresent any nominee's record and we're not going to lie about it.

Many of these Main Street banks would like to pay back their TARP money to the Government and terminate their relationship with the Government.

This budget at its base is more taxes, more spending, and more debt.

I do believe that as Secretary of the Treasury, with the kind of power that you have, you need to get out of the campaign mode.

It only makes sense that if a utility... invests billions of dollars to build a nuclear plant... they ought to get some credit for that.

If we don't do the Yucca that you have decided not to do, if we don't do that, we have a very real obligation to come forward with a positive plan.

I have great confidence in your abilities, and if you will just sift through all these difficult issues and give us your honest evaluation of what makes sense, then I think that can be a big help to us.

The cap-and-trade tax increase is a huge burden on the entire economy also.

The example that we set by passing the stimulus package, $800 billion thrown together in a rush-rush manner with very few real amendments and that kind of thing was just stunning.

You are going to need to personally drive that if you are going to change, because this Congress and no administration since I have been here have the kind of commitment to efficiency and productivity that most Governors have.

I said there would be a negative GDP.

There is no money to waste, and we are going to carry--our children will carry this debt.

But I do not want to be reckless, overspending, and unprincipled either.

I have opposed some of the solutions that have been promoted under President Bush and that appear to be continued.

I think the American people are far more focused on finding a responsible solution that will restore certainty to the market--uncertainty is not good--and growth to the economy.

I think it is inevitable and necessary that we move to that, and I think it has the potential to avoid misprescribing of drugs and other things.

Well, that is a stunning number, and that is obviously why we have not put it in the budget.

This is an unhealthy trend, I guess you would agree.

If something does not change, the taxpayers will have to just pick that up by higher taxes and more payments into the system.

It seems to me, would you not agree, that that is an unsustainable trend?

I do not think the present system is working. I do not think it is working well. But I have to tell you that I do not know how to fix it.

We ought to be able to at least tell them what they can expect to receive.

We are a little nervous around here about the way money is being thrown around.