Chris Van Hollen

I would just point out again that the choice is whether we want to ask for shared sacrifice. The fact of the matter is the reason the bipartisan fiscal commission said that the Republican budget isn't balanced was, among other things…

We share the gentleman's concern and view. As I said, the question is not whether we reduce the deficits but how we do it and the choices we make in the process. With that, I yield 2 minutes to Mr. Blumenauer, the gentleman from Oregon.

We agree that you've got to make cuts. We just think you need a balanced approach where you also deal with the revenue side. And because yours doesn't deal with that piece at all, that's why the fiscal commission said it was unbalanced and…

In the Republican budget, I want to make it clear, they took some of the savings that we gained through Medicare reform last year. We gained those savings by ending the overpayments to some of the Medicare Advantage insurance companies…

The Medicaid program is one where the costs of health care have actually grown much more slowly compared to the growth in health care costs elsewhere. Cutting $1.4 trillion out of an already stretched program is not a recipe for helping…

Yes, we do ask the big oil companies to give up their taxpayer subsidies. And yes, we do ask the very top 2 percent of income earners in the country to go back to the same tax rate they were paying during the Clinton years when the economy…

The chairman of the committee mentioned the IPAB, and it is true that the President indicated yesterday that that is a mechanism for trying to reduce the rise in Medicare costs. The chairman said they repeal the IPAB, which we believe will…

The Democratic alternative says, yes, we should ask the highest income earners, the folks at the top 2 percent, to simply pay the same rate that they paid during the Clinton administration when the economy was roaring and we created 20…

His amendment makes the point that if you think this is a good idea, if the Republicans think this is such a good idea, why don't you apply it to veterans? Why don't you apply it to active service personnel? If it is such a great thing…

The President did not offer what we call a budget. He offered what was an outline, an approach, that he wants people to look at on a bipartisan basis. That's what the President proposed yesterday.

As I indicated, you will have a Democratic alternative budget that we're going to put forward, and it will present a very clear choice for the Members. We will present a budget that achieves steady, predictable deficit reduction. Again, we…

If the Speaker would allow, we are going to be offering a Democratic alternative today, and everyone will have a chance to see the alternative.

I just would not want to make a decision today with a pretty fragile population.

You do not believe it is wise, or even feasible, to cap federal revenues at 21 percent of GDP.

It would be a mistake to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

We will fight any budget plan that extends deficit-busting tax breaks for millionaires and at the same time rolls back critical Medicare and Medicaid health services and Social Security protections for seniors and the disabled in the name…

I hope we will also have hearings on the major issue of tax reform and tax earmarks, as well as the recommendation of both those bipartisan groups, regarding some of the wasteful and unnecessary spending in the Pentagon and some of the…

The challenge before us is to make these vital programs sustainable over the long haul, given the spending growth trends.

And we will fight any budget plan that extends deficit-busting tax breaks for millionaires and the wealthiest Americans and at the same time, rolls back Medicare and Medicaid health services, and Social Security protections for seniors and…

We recognize that a variety of measures are necessary to accomplish that objective, but we will vigorously oppose any effort to undermine the integrity of those programs.

Repealing the Affordable Care Act would cause needless economic harm and would set back efforts to create a more disciplined and more effective health care system.

The Affordable Care Act will begin to bring down the per capita costs of health care throughout the system, including in Medicare.

I think people are going to have to ask themselves the question: which populations do they want to drop?

Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are essential to the health and retirement security of millions of Americans.

Today's legislation is designed to allow the federal government to continue operating through April 8, 2011. Additionally, this three-week CR does not contain the kind of truly reckless cuts and extreme policy riders contained in H.R. 1…