Mike Simpson

What we need is instead of a plan to consolidate 38 into 11 in the Department of Education, we need an overall plan, and that would involve more than just one authorizing committee.

I suspect if you look at it, most of those are involved because of an authorization by Congress, and that it would take legislative action to change those things.

I hope they take that seriously as they do the reauthorization that is coming up.

It seems like every single agency has specific money to do climate-change studies, but there is no overall strategy of climate change.

Community colleges are going to be more and more important as lifelong education.

The days of being able to graduate from high school, go to work in the factory, and retire 50 years later are gone.

Everyone on this panel and I think everyone in Congress knows the importance of job training.

Dr. Heckman also writes, 'For high quality early childhood interventions, there are none of the tradeoffs between equity and efficiency that plague most public policies.'

I hope that industry understands that we are serious that we need a solution.

I just never thought about it that the Army Corps was the number one provider of recreation within the Federal Government.

I will be interested next year during this hearing to find out how that worked out and what the impact was of closing that.

Just out of curiosity, what would it take to put together a master plan, transportation plan, in this country where we connected our harbor system, our inland waterway system, our railroads, our highways...

So the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund just maintains current levels.

I would think we would know what the backlog is of maintenance requirements.

I get concerned when we are taking money out of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and using it for other purposes.

Is there a plan on which ones we are going to dredge to take the deeper ships?

Do we have to find another use for it?

You also have to look at the entitlement programs which this budget totally left out, in terms of reform of the entitlement programs.

This is not tough-love. This is continuing the path we are currently on with no future balanced budget ever, in this proposal, and the American people are rejecting it, frankly.

What matters is where we are today, and where we are going to be in the future. And what the American people are saying is, get your fiscal house in order.

We have to live within our means.

It is nobody's desire to shut down the government; what we want to do is reduce spending.

The intent of CIEDRA is that there shall be no establishment of any federal water rights for these wilderness areas now and in the future.

I believe it is fair to say that those who are entrenched in their positions on one or both of these issues are not interested in compromise and will remain opposed to the bill unless the other side gives up.

I share your concern about the damage that invasive and noxious species can do to native vegetation and wildlife.