Max Baucus

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.

My bill will speed up construction, create good paying jobs and cost taxpayers less money in the long run.

This bill, I believe, is an overdue step in using the Reclamation fund for its intended purpose and that is making the West habitable.

I want to commend you for the excellent tax reform options paper the committee staff compiled last month and urge you to move forward with comprehensive tax reform and a taxpayer bill of rights.

A river is more than an amenity. It is a treasure. It offers a necessity of life that must be rationed among those who have power over it.

This bipartisan bill will aid in securing the necessary Congressional authority and direction to continue the construction and work being done to bring water to all of those in Montana and the surrounding regions.

Cutting Montana seniors' benefits without asking the wealthiest Americans to chip in to the Social Security trust fund is not right.

My bosses, the people of Montana, tell me they want to see a balanced plan that will bring us together and get the economy running at full speed and create jobs for folks in Montana and across the Nation.

The budget must be a reflection of our priorities, more than just numbers on a page, and should serve as a roadmap, guiding our Nation on a fiscally sustainable path.

I would deeply appreciate it if you could tell me what you are going to do to speed up the process...

I will be holding the administration's feet to the fire to ensure that this is all done correctly.

One of the highest priorities for the Finance Committee, a responsibility I take very seriously, is protecting the integrity of Federal health care programs by fighting fraud, waste, and abuse.

Ms. Tavenner, you are being asked to draw on years of extensive experience to lead this agency and administer programs upon which millions of Americans rely.

I urge you to be very aggressive in this area, because Medicare is such a large payer.

These Montanans are my employers, and they, as well as millions more across the Nation, are your employers as well, Ms. Tavenner, so I encourage you to never forget that you are working for them.

Somebody needs to light a fire under CMS, that it is not moving fast enough.

If confirmed, you must demand from these employees the utmost efficiency.

You have the knowledge, you have real-world experience, and I believe you have proven yourself to officially take the reins of CMS.

I am glad we are moving forward today to change that.

how much time remains on each side? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana has 2 minutes, the Senator from New Hampshire has 5 minutes, the Senator from Wyoming has 7 minutes, and the Senator from Illinois still has 5 minutes.

the Senator from Oregon is right. And I see the Senator from North Dakota shaking her head. With all due respect, I think she is not correct. This is either enforceable on foreign countries or it is not. It is impossible to force our laws…

I will yield a couple minutes to myself. Different States have different regimes. Some States decide they want to have income tax. Other States have big property taxes. Other States say they want to have sales tax but not income tax. There…

I think it is time for those on the other side to say a word or two. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.

I yield 1 minute to the Senator from Oregon. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.

how much time is remaining on our side? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana has 7 minutes, the Senator from New Hampshire has 7 minutes, the Senator from Wyoming has 7 minutes, and the Senator from Illinois has 5 minutes.