Heidi Heitkamp

We have to fix this, and I think the Chairman has held a meeting.

I want to tell you that I am so incredibly grateful that you are there because I know you are a thoughtful, fierce advocate for American agriculture.

I want to know what you can do within your role as Secretary, beyond what you have done, to try and really get people to understand... the incredible challenges that are ahead for American agriculture if we do not send the right signals…

The future of American agriculture is in research. It is in trade promotion, yet those programs get zeroed out.

We are not going to be successful in agriculture unless we open up those trade markets.

I do not want to just focus on the Chinese tariffs. I want a better understanding of what direction this administration is heading in trade policy because I do not think these messages are appropriate in a country or in a world where we…

This is the challenge that we have. Poverty rates, one out of every three rural counties have poverty rates in the percentage of 20 percent.

I am here representing a special interest group called the workers of America.

This puts a burden on you, and I want to make sure that the Fed understands that this is not--at least this sponsor of 2155 did not in any way want to limit your ability to identify those institutions under 250 who present systemic risk.

I think we have to be really careful when we are pointing fingers about not having a full contingent, because this is not something new.

Our choices are pretty limited. Your choices are going to be pretty limited if we do not do postal reform.

We are going to hold you to that, Mr. Williams, because frequently what we find out is that when push comes to shove and we end up financial, we start hearing about reducing service.

We, as a major Board of Directors here on this Committee, but certainly the Board of Directors for the post office has not been functioning for a long period of time.

I think it is the best we can do right now to really illustrate the enormous challenges that are ahead of us.

Where frequently the problems that we talk about here may not have reached America in the same way, America knows that the post office is not delivering the way they used to deliver.

The post office has been rudderless.

I just want to add to that, because I think it is critically important, once you issue one of these rules, the reliance on a rule, the reliance on an interpretation pretty much cements it, and that is why it is so critical that you come…

This bill has the potential of having a Mack truck driven through it, in terms of revenue.

We can debate a trillion-dollar deficit over 10 years, which is where this thing is headed.

You are outgunned, and I am deeply concerned.

When you do not pay attention to small business, we do not get the information we need to make the corrections.

That process has to be accountable, and the media has to have access to information so they can fairly report to the public.

The public has a right to know that this is maybe where it went across the rails.

I appreciate your willingness to stand up and say this is wrong, and I respect your courage.

I think at a time when there is an incredible amount of distrust about what is happening, especially in the regulatory environment, transparency is better than no transparency.