Mary Landrieu

I think that if this agency is well resourced, well led, with effective and targeted programming, we can be a big help in supporting the millions of small businesses out there.

There is an urgency about this.

I have introduced S. 3165, the Small Business Community Partner Relief Act.

Helping the Haitian Government and working with international partners... to put down as a cornerstone a free universal education system for Haiti accomplishes many goals

This agency should operate in the most transparent, accountable way possible.

I think it's just critical, which brings me to my questions about Haiti.

If we are not trying to coordinate, is there a country in the world that is tasked with coordinating...

I think this has been one of the most interesting, thought provoking panels and most professionally executed panels that I have ever heard in my time in the Senate.

I think Americans would be absolutely shocked to hear the statistic here, that average African American families have less than $5,500 in wealth compared to average white families, that have an average of $87,058.

This is something that I am going to really drill down on with this Committee.

These capital markets must work for all Americans. They just have to.

While government does, Mr. Johnson, have a limited role, it could have a very muscular and important role to play in righting injustices.

Recruitment for the Afghan National Police has been sharply improving over the last several months.

We do not have to start from today to do things right and do things better.

I just find that completely unacceptable.

I had asked whether or not you felt that the VA was being a little overly rigid in interpreting these regulations.

I have often said that I hope we some day become--and I think you are in the process of doing that--as good at taking care of our veterans as we are creating them.

Caring for American veterans remains one of the Nation's highest priorities and clearly is one of yours.

But this is going to have to be changed, in my view.

So it is a real opportunity, I want to just say, for some unions.

The problem is if you push to get everyone there, you will give us no choice but to water down.

I wanted to ask you, if I could, just about the Race to the Top program.

It is harder today to get into TFA than it is to get into Harvard Law School.

Nothing in our application was watered down.

It is my hope that the CPSC will be able to provide a definitive solution in the investigation into this issue facing impacted consumers in the near future.