Jon Tester

I think to open up a market to 1.3 billion people is no small effort.

I think a more measured approach would have probably been better.

I did not like that, had a difference of discussion with your predecessor about that.

If your voice is not made loud and clear throughout this process about what is important, ... then we are going to end up with a bill that is not going to meet the needs of rural America.

I think there is a lot of people that serve in the United States Senate and Congress that do not understand production agriculture.

We have got more cattle than we have got people in Montana.

Organic has been the fastest going.

We need some (R&D) money.

Rural America is drying up.

I do not know anybody that has made money off of crop insurance.

Let us not take a step backwards because if we take a step backwards, especially in this time when we have low commodity prices, and they truly are very bad.

Making sure that when disasters happen that we have a safety net is critically important.

When prices drop there needs to be a safety net to help manage risk.

The real question here today is how the hell do we fix it, because it does not work.

I am very concerned, being somebody from rural America, and quite frankly, you understand rural America, the impacts of this budget.

I think it is very critical that we address this issue of regulation

I think that we need to have profitable community banks.

I will tell you they will sell out to the big guys, to one of the five big ones, and then I guarantee you those communities will not have branches because they will close them down the same way Steve has had to with four of his branches.

I look forward to working with the Chairman and this entire Committee to developing a bill that makes the VA stronger.

There is no problem too big that cannot be solved if people who are willing to solve it sit down together and work together to do it.

As we said when we had the joint hearings with the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, we should be taking our direction from you.

I promise you, they will follow the money.

The President's Budget Request lays out a plan that would pay for expanded access to private-sector care by taking money from disabled vets.

Admitting to problems is the first step toward solving them.

Sending veterans to the private sector does not absolve the VA of the responsibility or the benefits.