Fred Upton

To really stop this troubling pattern of safety lapses at our bioterrorism labs, changes on paper will not be enough.

Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing.

It is important that we move beyond the 'us versus them' mentality that has encompassed this discussion for too long.

This issue is too important to have key players sitting on the sidelines, and therefore, I hope all of you are prepared to participate as we take to heart what we hear today and be part of the solution moving forward.

This debate is not about picking sides; it is about evaluating options.

It is important that we move beyond the us-versus-them mentality that has encompassed this discussion for too long.

If you have paid any attention to the debate, it might appear to be a black-and-white choice.

Today, the three-and-half-billion-dollar question is why CMS is now diverting taxpayer dollars to insurance companies without any legal authority to do so.

Legal memorandum released earlier this year by the nonpartisan CRS found that the statute does not permit CMS to prioritize reinsurance payments to insurers.

The health law statute plainly states that a portion of the contributions to the reinsurance program must be given to the U.S. Treasury.

Auto safety--it's a matter of life and death. There are not many issues as important as keeping Americans safe on the road.

Auto safety, it is a matter of life and death. Yes, it is.

The focus needs to be on the folks who were impacted--especially the children, and what we can do to ensure this happens never again, anywhere.

What happened to Flint and its residents, especially the kids being poisoned in their own home, absolutely breaks your heart.

We cannot and we will not forget those in Flint who have been impacted by this tragedy.

The tragic situation in Flint has captured the attention of the Nation, that is for sure.

However, the heartbreaking events unfolding in Flint, Michigan, are a sign that EPA has strayed from its core mission.

I know that the agency has an ambitious agenda it would like to put in place before President Obama's tenure...

What we are doing now will not prevent damage in Flint, but we owe it to the people of Flint...

Make no mistake, the system failed at all levels that resulted in the lead contamination problems with Flint's water supply.

I hope that, in the same bipartisan spirit that launched EPA in 1970, that we can rededicate ourselves to the basic public health protections that are the reasons that this agency was brought into existence.

It is only through this approach that we can avoid uncertainty and the threat to investments.

The stakes are certainly high. The communications and technology sectors are among our nation's most precious economic assets.

This committee has pursued FCC process reform on a bipartisan basis, going back to the 112th Congress.

I don't know of a more professional hard-working leader that we have had in Ray over the last 5 years.