Chris Van Hollen

We have frittered away our time without addressing the problem.

The cumulative corrosive impacts of sustained deficits in the face of a full appointment economy, would unbalance, make the extension of the tax cuts a, quote, `modestly negative policy choice'?

How can you have testimony that doesn't even address the revenue side?

I agree that we need to come together on a bipartisan basis now, to come up with a plan that shows we are going to reduce the deficits and debt in a predictable, sustained manner.

When President Obama was sworn in he inherited a $1.3 trillion deficit.

I want to accept the premise, absolutely accept the premise that, in order to get the deficit and debt down, we have got to reduce spending.

I do think it is risky to do anything that could weaken the economy during this very fragile time.

The bipartisan fiscal commission that was charged with reducing our deficits specifically warned against that action right now.

The Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, testified just very recently that slashing the budget that way would, quote, Translate into a couple hundred thousand jobs, so it is not trivial, unquote.

That is why the House Republican plan to make additional, deep, and immediate cuts in various investments in order to hit an arbitrary number is such a mistake.

Enacting measures that would slow down job growth would not only impose additional and unnecessary economic pain on American families, it will harm the goal of deficit reduction.

I believe we all agree that it is important to come together now, as the Chairman said, to develop and enact a sensible plan to reduce that debt in a steady and a predictable fashion.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We've heard a lot about the Supreme Court decision, Citizens United, and we may agree with that decision or disagree with that decision. But the fact of the matter is that's the law of the land. This amendment does…

I hope that we won't play politics with the full faith and credit of the United States.

A failure of the United States to meet its debt obligations and to make sure that we protect the full faith and credit of the United States would be, quote, ``catastrophic.''

House Republicans have also taken a reckless approach to the debate on the debt ceiling.

The President's balanced and responsible approach stands in stark contrast to the Republican majority's reckless plan for this year.

President Obama has laid out a budget proposal that is tough but responsible.

The one good-faith effort on the Republican side that has been scored to date doesn't get close to that in 2020 and doesn't do it until after 2040.

The bipartisan commission on deficit reduction recommended against taking deep and immediate cuts

That proposal will put more Americans out of work when too many families are still struggling

The President has laid out a proposal that is tough but responsible

I hope we don't get to the point where we have to go through that again.

Some of our Republican colleagues have indicated that, if they don't get their way, ... they would shut down the government.

I think it is an important achievement that in this budget you reach primary balance by the year 2017 and begin to stabilize the problem.