Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Whenever I hear a Member of Congress proposing austerity as a fix for any or all of our Nation's economic problems, whether the problems are real or perceived, my first reaction is ``austerity for who?'' The fact is…

But I think a better question is, who is watching the banks? We certainly aren't.

I believe that this agency is designed to function in the public interest and that you have demonstrated throughout your career that you are a public-interest-oriented individual

I applaud you for really paying wages that you can keep people, to be able to do the kind of job that needs to be done.

It seems pretty obvious that our priorities are somewhat backward.

I believe that consumer protection, consumer education, is one of the most valuable functions that our government can perform for its citizenry.

We have an obligation and responsibility to do something about it.

Republicans opposed the creation of Medicare in the 1960's and have sought to dismantle it since then.

This radical plan is not inevitable, and Democrats in Congress will fight tooth and nail to help protect our Nation's seniors from this abomination.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act extended the Medicare Trust Fund solvency by 8 years, which is one of the many reasons I'm proud that I voted to enact this law, and I will go to my grave defending it.

For more than 45 years, Medicare has successfully provided access to health services for the elderly ages 65 and over.

the Ryan plan would end Medicare as it exists today, take away all Federal health benefits from 65- and 66-year-olds

Mr. Chairman, the Republican plan is cruel, and it is sadly a cruel betrayal of our Nation's seniors.

this proposal would result in substantially higher out-of-pocket costs for seniors.

A typical beneficiary would spend more for health care under the proposal than under CBO's long-term scenarios.

The current administration has not complied, and that is troubling on at least two fronts.

I think that's incredibly important as we talk about the current plan before us by the Republicans to radically change the way that Medicare is structured.

I'm not in favor of merely shifting beneficiaries from one Federal plan to another.

As a matter of fact, the philosopher Camus is supposed to have said one time that I love my country, but I also love justice.

I would like to thank the gentlemen for accepting the amendment. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of the Bass-Maloney Amendment, which cuts funding to subcontractors in the U.S. Defense Department. This amendment would prevent funding…

Transit security is a timely and necessary topic.

The events of September 11, 2001, brought the attention of transportation security and terrorism to prominence.

Thank you very much for holding this hearing.

Transit security is especially challenging due primarily to the very nature of the business.

WMATA, similar to transit systems across the country, are constantly evaluating and evolving with new procedures, techniques, and systems to increase security.