Chris Van Hollen: “I want to start by thanking the chairman of the committee, Chairman Price, for conducting the business of the Budget…”

“I want to start by thanking the chairman of the committee, Chairman Price, for conducting the business of the Budget Committee in a professional manner. We have sharp differences but have expressed them in a civil fashion. I also want to agree with him with respect to the great job the Budget Committee staff has done, both Democrat and Republican, and agree with him on one more thing--and it may be the last thing I agree with the gentleman on during this debate. Dr. Elmendorf, the current head of the Congressional Budget Office, has done a great job, and we are going to have a little bit more to say about that later. We all believe in America, Mr. Chair, but I do not believe this Republican budget reflects the values and priorities. It is the wrong direction for America. Now, as we gather here today, we are facing some good news, we are facing some bad news, and we are facing some really bad news. The good news is the economy is improving. More people are going back to work. In fact, the private sector has added 12 million new jobs over the last 60 months. It is not all rosy. Many Americans are still looking for work, but the unemployment rate has fallen to 5.5 percent, and trends are good. The bad news is that Americans are working harder than ever, but their paychecks are flat. This is not a new problem, Mr. Chairman. It is not even a problem in the last 2 years or just the last 5 years. It goes back quite a ways.…”