I think that is the proper role of government, it is do those things that need to be done...

I hope we will do that for the people of Washington, DC.

It is really an injustice, and it does bring to mind some of the slogans that fired up people in the Revolution.

Ben Franklin said if we don't elect one Member of Parliament, then they have no right to ever put any tax on us.

Protecting big incumbents really is not the right way. National champions, I think, is a proven failure.

The $6 million man is not that far away. Now the $6 million dollar brain, that is a lot further away.

I believe that community college is a great place to obtain the education. I think, again, the funding issue is the problem, making the funding available so that continuing education is acceptable as well as curriculum education.

Well, it is a really important issue. I will tell you that when I came to Congress 21 years ago...

Instead of trying to find a way to keep things funded during a government shutdown, we should commit to not shutting down the government. Bad policy. Bad politics. Just stupid.

But it doesn't necessarily go back into the forestry program?

I urge this committee to see the wisdom in continuing to support these valuable programs.

The answer to that is put out wildfires before they become huge conflagrations, and that is the Forest Service's responsibility.

From an economic perspective it may be a little shortsighted.

I urge you to think about the broader economic impacts of some of these rollbacks.

I would like you to be able to use these grants wherever you think is appropriate. I mean this is your country, it is your money, and you ought to be able to use them where you think it would be most efficiently used.

A, we know all the smoke in the air from wildfires is bad.

I have asked for a larger amount of money for this committee because of all the unmet needs.

I think historic preservation is vitally important, especially for tribes. We can't lose that history.

I can't breathe in August in Idaho about half the time.

I have always taken the position I don't want the Federal government determining what scope of practice is. That is the State's responsibility.

I thought about trying to change the Federal law so that you have to do reforestation after wildfires because they are obviously just as devastating, if not more impactful than timber harvest.

We are having a tough time getting the Forest Service involved in wildfires.

I appreciate the work you do. It is, like I said, vitally important, and any way we can help, I am more than willing to help.

The senior senator from Alaska has spoken publicly to the effect that it is important to have the lease sale as quickly as possible to create new facts on the ground.

I know of no community that will become a permanent repository for nuclear waste based on consent.