Ben Cardin

I think you have the right formula, and each element will be controversial.

Let me just very quickly, Mr. Chairman, agree completely, and that bill, of course, was strongly supported by our delegation here, and we want to see you have that authority.

We need to do it on our environmental commitments on storm water.

We cannot do it by roads alone. We cannot do it by transit alone.

I think there is a real commitment here to make sure the capacity is there to move forward on approved nuclear reactors.

You have to set it at a rate where it will not cost the taxpayers any money, and yet it still gets scored as an issue because of the OMB formula.

I represent Maryland. Maryland is prepared to move forward with a nuclear power plant at Calvert Cliffs.

I do not want to give up on the pricing of carbon.

If the Federal Government does not set the example, it makes it difficult to get the type of compliance.

It is about jobs. It is about outbuilding our competitors.

I support the budget, the more robust budget that you come in with for transportation infrastructure.

If we do not show political courage right now, we are doomed as a country.

The Congress needs now to show the leadership, and then to ask the President to join us.

There is clearly a need out there, and there are clearly banks that are still sitting on the sidelines as it relates to making loans available to small businesses.

I think it is intuitive to the people of this Nation that if we can really get access to care... we can reduce our health care spending.

The criticality of us working together with President Obama on entitlement reform is so critical.

So for a relatively small investment of Federal funds, we leverage a lot of loans to small companies.

I would really appreciate you keeping us informed as to how well that is working so that we clearly need to pay attention to this issue.

I agree with Senator Conrad. I think the President's proposal for a freeze on domestic discretionary spending... is a very credible plan.

I think we all agree the deficit--we need to have a credible game plan to bring the deficit under control.

We are getting into the trillion dollar range, if not higher than that.

The $400 billion savings, to me, is a significant part of the overall strategy to bring the deficit under control.

The way that the scoring has been done, and discriminates against certain States over others based upon their regulatory structure.

We need tax reform, and we desperately need it.

A freeze is a freeze. It is going to cause us to make some very painful judgments.