But both competition and choice already exist in the Medicare program. {time} 1620 Of beneficiaries, 99.7 percent have access to at least one Medicare Advantage plan, and in the majority of counties, they have an average of 26 private…

I thank the gentlelady for yielding, and I rise in strong support of these six pieces of legislation which have been put together and called a jobs bill. I think they have a positive effect on economic growth in our country. I think they…

It is absolutely essential that we do so in a bipartisan way because the decisions that will have to be made are very tough decisions.

Our budget ought to help us level the playing field for American workers and businesses by providing incentives for insourcing and supporting programs that help increase exports.

We can achieve this through the establishment of a national infrastructure bank, which will leverage public and private capital to finance large-scale projects.

Our Make It In America plan also invests in rebuilding this country's crumbling infrastructure and laying the groundwork for future growth.

Our budgets reflect our values and the direction we want for this country in the year ahead--and for several years beyond.

Setting our economy back on a sustainable, predictable fiscal path will help us create jobs by restoring certainty for businesses.

Our budget ought to continue making higher education affordable for all, including students from low-income families by sustaining Pell grants at least at the current levels of $5,635.

Our budget, as all of us know, reflect our values and the direction we want for this country in the year ahead.

We will not balance our budget if we do not grow jobs and the economy.

I thank the gentleman for yielding. This is a sad day for America. It's a sad day for the Congress. It's a sad day for our African American brothers and sisters who have lost a real leader and an extraordinary friend. I first met Donald…

He cared about people, and particularly people who lived in Africa. I think there was no Member who knew Africa better than Donald Payne.

This is a sad day for America. It's a sad day for the Congress. It's a sad day for our African American brothers and sisters who have lost a real leader and an extraordinary friend.

I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me say that Mr. Cantor and I had the opportunity to speak on the floor today. We spoke on behalf of a resolution that was passed overwhelmingly, unanimously, that spoke to commemorating…

I thank the gentleman. Ladies and gentlemen, we remember the difficult path we trod as a Nation to ensure the participation of all, and we ought to do everything we can to preserve it in our own day. It is not just history that we want to…

I thank the gentleman for those comments, and we look forward to continuing to work together. The next question I would like to ask is, clearly, we're coming up on March 15 in the not-too-distant future. It's my understanding from Chris…

I thank the gentleman for his information, and I would say with respect to the bills that he will be offering, we have, as the gentleman knows, considered four of those bills on the floor. They passed overwhelmingly. I think they're good…

I thank my friend John Lewis for yielding. I thank John Lewis for his service to our country, to its principles, to its values, to its people. I thank John Lewis for being my friend, and I thank John Lewis for allowing me for the ninth…

I thank the gentleman for that information. I want to assure him that our side of the aisle looks forward to working with his side of the aisle towards hopefully coming together with a bipartisan bill which will certainly keep the program…

I thank the gentleman for his comments, and as he observes, House Members have participated in this. There is a wonderful organization known as Faith & Politics. We believe strongly in the separation of church and State, but as I tell…

I yield myself 1 additional minute. Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know whether most of you know this. I saw a gentleman from Florida who's been here for a couple of months pontificate that I didn't know anything outside of the Beltway. I…

I yield myself 1 additional minute. But nobody but Federal employees, nobody is targeted in this bill other than Federal employees. You can tell I'm angry about that because that's not fair, and that's not how you ought to treat our…

I now yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen), the ranking member of the Budget Committee.

I thank my friend the Speaker. I'm glad that he's in the chair. He and I have worked together because we understand what needs to be done in order to meet the fiscal crisis that confronts our country. All of us need to participate--not…