Chris Van Hollen: “Over the last couple days, we've had a spirited debate on the budget. We have deep differences on this issue, but I want…”

“Over the last couple days, we've had a spirited debate on the budget. We have deep differences on this issue, but I want to commend Chairman Ryan for the way he conducts the business of the Budget Committee. The debate is lively but always civil, and I thank him for the way he has run the committee. I also want to thank all the other members of the Budget Committee for their full participation in this debate and to the staffs, both Republican staff and Democratic staff, who work so hard for their service to our country. I want to commend our team who has been working very hard and ask that their names be included in the Record along with the members of the Republican staff. Mr. Chairman, these budget resolutions are mostly comprised of lots of numbers on lots of pages, but we know that behind these numbers are key decisions about the future direction of our country and our priorities and values as a nation. I was disappointed that yesterday this House did not pass our Democratic budget alternative that presents a solutions-based approach to address our challenges instead of an ideological approach. Today, I'm going to ask the House to vote against the Republican budget because of its uncompromising ideological approach, and I will explain more about that in a moment. I reserve the balance of my time.…”