Chris Murphy

I just think it's important for all of us to remember that you still retain the enforcement responsibility.

To me, regulations are also a means by which we help school districts understand how to comply with a law.

Obviously, a large number of us were very involved in the construction of that part of the statute.

You'll expect to see different methodologies being used.

Essentially, what it must result in is a re-articulation of the underlying goal of the statute, which is that the Federal dollars ultimately supplement not supplant.

Would a pretty easy step not be for the United States to say that if you want a resupply for the weaponry... you, as a condition, continue to be a partner in the fight against extremism?

We should not back down or be bashful about standing up for the Western ideal of tolerance.

The time value of money and the compounding of interest is what all of us have to recognize in this solution.

We need to reform and calibrate the formula as people live longer and they are more productive.

The savings and significant contribution you can make to the debt is not about grandma and granddad today. It is about my grandchildren and my children.

The truth is, they are an indispensable part of the U.S. role around the world.

I think South Korea this year will contribute $800 million in defense.

Even Secretary Gates, in his last budget, for fiscal year 2016, he proposed a budget that is some $66 billion greater than what we are spending right now.

We are sitting on the smallest Army since World War II, the smallest Navy since World War I, and the oldest and smallest Air Force ever.

The middle class is evaporating in the Middle East. It is not just declining. It is evaporating.

I just got back from a week in the Middle East, and I can tell you, things are not getting better there.

But generally speaking, I do hear a lack of concern about that, which is somewhat surprising.

I would just recommend to everyone a simple table that talks about the average age of the United States and all of our competitor countries relative to today and 2030.

I think you can make a fairly serious argument that we have yet to see those predictions come true.

I think every day about the burdens that we are leaving to the next generation, if we do not make smart decisions about both spending and revenue.

Count me amongst those who think that this is a very important hearing to have.

The struggles of our middle class and those trying to get into it is an urgent problem--and, I believe, the proper concern of this committee and Congress.

However, we simply have not seen those predictions of higher interest rates pan out.

The question is, where are our priorities?

I do believe that our national debt is a long-term problem that we have to solve.