Chris Van Hollen

I think what this committee needs is information from all of you, facts, so we can evaluate the impact.

I have to say I have been appalled in preparing for this hearing and reading the articles that Senator Murkowski referenced.

I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family of Alex Villamayor, whose life was cut short 2 years ago in Paraguay. Alex was a son, brother, nephew, grandson, and friend. At just 16 years old, Alex taught us that we should not lead…

I thank both of you, first of all, for your service. I thank you for what you do to protect our Capitol and make it as safe as it can be consistent with the need to have a place that is open for the capital of democracy.

I look forward to working with you as we consider this budget because in addition to those cuts, which I think will have very harmful impacts, there is also a cut to the Hubble Space Telescope program.

I think that there are lots of areas where further investment would help our economy and innovation.

I think all of us would like to see the budgets put together by the experts originally, what they think the country needs going forward.

Given that your budget proposes to zero out the PACE mission, how do you propose that we get that important information for our coastal economies?

If you could please get this subcommittee a cost analysis about how that actually will be more cost effective...

And we're grateful to see that additional investment.

Could you tell this subcommittee--could you get back to this subcommittee and tell us what you found inaccurate about that website?

If I may, Madam Chairman, just along the lines of disclosure, why is it that you took down the climate change website at the EPA?

But you agree it's really important that EPA provide accurate information to the Congress.

I appreciate that. So one of the issues that has arisen over and over in the last couple months is the integrity and accuracy of information coming out of the EPA.

Well, I can assure you we'll work very hard to restore that.

But you would agree, would you not, that eliminating the EPA's commitment and role and funding would make it harder to achieve our goals?

Thank you, Madam Chairman.

I think all of us on this Committee want to look for ways to provide relief for community banks and want to make sure that all our regulations are tailored to accomplish their purpose.

I think when you make the characterization of President Trump writing the policy, I think that is the wrong characterization.

I think you would agree with that, would you not?

These misguided ideas include additional layers of cost-benefit analysis, more obstacles to supervisory actions, weakened leverage rules, changes to stress tests that will allow the banks to game the stress tests.

There is no evidence that relaxing rules will lead banks to lend more.

The report takes as gospel that more lending and leverage is the best way to create economic growth.

Wall Street reform created a more stable financial sector by strengthening the capital position of the Nation's largest banks.

Wall Street greed, the resulting financial crisis, what it did to millions of Ohioans and so many of our constituents is a lesson, collective amnesia in this body notwithstanding, is a lesson we need to learn, to remember, and to act on.