On the recordFebruary 15, 2011
In the United States, access to justice shouldn't be available only for those who can afford it. I think most Americans recognize that we have an out-of-control deficit and debt, that we need tough action to deal with that, and I think Americans, irrespective of party, are ready to make sacrifices. The President's budget I think indicates that there are going to be some tough days ahead, and there are going to be some of the efforts we have supported in the past that we can't afford to support anymore. But at the same time, I think the American people recognize that there is a lot of waste in government that can be eliminated without harming people; that a lot of inefficiencies can and must be eliminated; but they also don't want in these difficult economic times for our first steps to be to take away vital resources from those who are most in need or from middle-income families that are trying to stay in their homes. Imagine what we are telling those families that are struggling to stay in their homes that we are now going to defund the lawyer that's been helping them.
