Tom Carper

Health care costs were killing us. Unless we figured out how to get our arms around those, for the government and the private sector as well, it is going to do us in.

One is we need to work on our entitlement programs to save the programs, to make sure they are going to be around for our kids and grandchildren.

I like to say--this is Albert Einstein speaking through me--in adversity lies opportunity.

Some day Democrats, we are going to be in the Minority. We will have a Republican President...

I do not care whether George W. Bush was the President or Barack Obama is the President...

Find out what works, do more of that.

Two, we need tax reform that I believe generates some revenues.

Thank you for being so faithful in your attendance. This is really an important hearing.

We are on track right now, over the next 25 years, to actually be spending more money in DOD for compensation and benefits than we are going to have.

Sometimes people just want to know that they are valued and we need to do a better job of that.

The key for almost all of them to succeed is leadership.

Find out what does not work and do less of that.

How can we do those things that are our responsibility more effectively and more efficiently.

We are trying to do a whole lot better than that.

We also talked about an effort to provide a more seamless transition for following the health care of military members.

One of the things we do in our State is every year our congressional delegation co-hosts a veterans' summit.

It is really weird that we do these program provisions and bills and amendments, and instead of getting credit for saving money, it comes to us from CBO as an added cost, which just drives us crazy.

We call it the PRIME Act, P-R-I-M-E Act.

There are still gaping holes in this Administration.

We just need the Administration to do its job.

The Constitution mandates an explanation of where we spend our money and how we spend it.

The three keys to deficit reduction, if we are serious about it, are tax reform that makes more sense out of the tax code and actually produces some revenues for deficit reduction; entitlement reform that saves money and saves the programs…

I, from time to time, tell people who have quite a bit of money that they are going to have to pay some extra taxes if we are going to get the job done on deficit reduction.

This is a shared responsibility. This is a team sport, and we are part of the team.

I just do not want you to waste my money.