George Mitchell: “The reality that hundreds of thousands of our children are using them. Every American, not just baseball fans, ought to…”

If we start to means-test Social Security, it immediately becomes a welfare program.

Mr. Chairman, I think it ought to be clear that what we are doing here is establishing one rule for every American business, every American interest except oil and gas, and then a special rule for those in the oil and gas business.

When I first went to the Middle East, I went to 17 countries and I met with the leaders there many, many times, and every time they would criticize American policy, I would ask what do you think our policy should be?

I think it's unfair and unwise. Think for a moment of what Senator McConnell did. He persuaded 96 percent of the Republicans in the Senate to vote for a bill that had the support of only 17 percent of the American people.