This week, I had the honor and privilege of joining my Democratic colleagues at the White House, to witness President Barack Obama sign into law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590)--the most significant piece of…

We want, again, every single American working.

Frankly, no matter how many hearings we hold it will not be enough, because there are 14.9 million unemployed Americans, and the damage done to them, their families, and their communities is unending.

I had one of the most interesting experiences about three weeks ago in Baltimore in my District where we hired 50 police officers who would not have been hired, who would not have been hired, if it were not for the Stimulus.

The HIRE Act, signed in March, is creating some 300,000 jobs by rebuilding America's infrastructure.

Maybe he will be a breath of fresh air coming in.

I associate myself with his words.

I would venture to guess that there are parts of my District where the African American male unemployment rate is 45 to 50 percent.

One job lost is one job too many.

Folks have got to put the partisanship aside, Madam Chair.

Today's hearing is yet another reminder why we must build upon the success of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act or risk a backslide into conditions like those we saw earlier this year when we were losing over 700,000 jobs every…

Today's jobs report shows employers cut 11,000 jobs in November, the smallest decline since the recession began.

I am glad you are there. And I don't know how many people could stand the pressure of what you are dealing with.

I want to, first of all, thank you for what you have been able to accomplish in a few months.

We can take the resources that we have and, with proper planning, use them more effectively and efficiently.

I guess that is a good step in the right direction of that effectiveness and efficiency that I talked about just a moment ago,

I don't want this moment to go by without acknowledging what you all have accomplished. It has been just short of extraordinary.

Particularly in this economic climate, bureaucratic delays that may threaten a mariner's ability to work are completely unacceptable.

That is very significant because basically what you are saying is in those urgent situations, first of all, you try to prevent them;

But we also need to keep in mind, as Ms. Klobuchar has so eloquently stated, where we have come from.

If we are moving in the right direction, we need to say that so the American People will be clear on that.

our Country is embarrassingly far behind in the development of a modern high speed rail system.

We can have all the opportunity, but if people cannot get the bonding to do the programs, they might as well not have the opportunities.

I often speak of their role in Katrina, when they saved well over 30,000 people, many of whom would not be with us today if it were not for their heroic efforts.

When do you expect they will be all up, though? I guess that is what I am trying to get to.