Steve Womack

I think it is important to keep that balance.

The problem is not tomorrow. The problem is 2035.

The program is in trouble.

Strengthening retirement security for today's seniors and families, as well as future generations, is a goal that I think we all share.

One of the great frustrations I have as a Member of Congress is the fact that the varsity sport of Congress is a game called kicking the can down the road.

So let me get to a couple of questions. One, assuming that we are successful in satisfying the Pentagon's desire for a $750 million budget in 2020, can you guarantee the national security of the United States of America?

Ms. Lee just said it was bloated, questioning the motives of leadership in the Department of Defense.

As I have said before, ensuring the safety and security of our nation is the primary responsibility of the federal government.

A vast majority of American people are satisfied with our national defense.

I would respectfully disagree. There have been over 50 consecutive National Defense Authorization Acts signed into law.

I commend this Administration for completing the first full-scope, department-wide, financial statement audit of the Department of Defense.

The fact of the matter is we have a constitutional responsibility to ensure the safety and security of the American people.

Let me be clear. The consequences of failing to fully fund our national defense going forward are deadly serious and far-reaching.

In my area, in the 3rd District of Arkansas, the unemployment rate is significantly below 4 percent.

We have to make sure that they are and that the child today that we are going to endeavor to have the best healthcare possible for them, that these programs are around for them.

So $22 trillion in debt, I think you would agree, is a pretty substantial amount of money that we owe currently.

Your agency is responsible for administering programs on which millions of Americans rely, including Medicare; Medicaid; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF; Head Start.

Today we are here to examine the President's budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services for fiscal year 2020.

Now, provide for the general welfare, I mean, that is kind of a broad subject, and I think we can have a debate that goes a long time about what constitutes general welfare and what does not.

You have got a tough job. I mean, how do you--if you look at the spectrum of the federal government, what we fund, how is it possible to come up with any kind of a plan, any kind of a budget that could satisfy all of the desires, all of…

I hope that the leadership on the other side will find time to present a bill to the floor of the House of Representatives where the entire Congress can vote on a budget.

I appreciate your not trying to supplant our local control in this budget, but I want to be clear.

How often in the President's budget proposal are we spending less the next year than we were spending in the previous year?

I have only gotten to serve with two Presidents while I have been in Congress. President Obama I believe loved this country, but never once sent a budget to Capitol Hill that balanced ever, not in five years, not in 10 years, not in 15…

As you know, while the Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse, funding the priorities of the American people while addressing our nation's fiscal challenges is not an easy task.