Mike Johnson

One of the things that I hear a lot from entrepreneurs when I talk with them is the weakness of our infrastructure.

I think it was Mr. Blumenauer who was making the point about the gas tax and the need for investment in roads.

I think we want to be careful not to encourage overborrowing. But you are absolutely right that the level of interest rate on some of these loans is too high.

I think we should on a forward-looking basis before it gets to a situation where there is a lot of rhetoric and confrontation think about what is the right way for fiscal policy to be involved in any future difficulties.

And that is why what the Federal Government does in terms of fiscal policy is particularly important.

Uncertainty discourages investment, discourages hiring.

I think we should go back to because what you get is--if you are considering the distortions and the disincentives...

Second, be revenue neutral. Do not give up on the revenue.

Please don't forget human capital, because one thing we have learned from 200 years of experience is that the prosperity of any country depends, first and foremost, on the education, on the skills, on the health of its citizens

And, third, you have got to control healthcare costs. It is mandatory.

If you grant TPA, you get the fast track, you are not going to be engaged in that discussion.

To threaten government shutdowns and generate this uncertainty for everyone... is not helpful.

I agree with you completely on the strategic role of trade. I think that is the right framework.

Well, I think the entire package of tax reform should be revenue neutral.

The gentleman's time has expired.

First, don't give up on Dodd-Frank. The big hit to our debt came from the financial crisis.

Engage with TPP, not with the TPA, not at this stage. You don't need the TPA. Engage with the TPP.

I think this is the important point about TPP, which is really, as I understand it, an issue before this committee.

We should be encouraging more people to enter the country legally and join the labor force, including families with young children.

I worry about the uncertainty of the dynamic scoring model on the tax proposals.

If you repeal some parts of Dodd-Frank, you are supposedly going to save the budget. You are not going to save the budget anything; you are going to open yourselves up to massive financial risk and another debt catastrophe like the one we…

It is about growth. It is about human capital. It is about people.

As you may know, the program is projected to become insolvent in 2016.

This is why the Dodd-Frank reforms are so important, and I urge you not to lose track of that part of the big picture.

So imports are absolutely very important, Mr. Levin. They destroy jobs.