Your budget increase is 2.8 percent. We may not be able to increase your budget by 2.8 percent.

Of the total outlay from TARP, how much of that has been returned?

So it would translate into longer timelines to respond to requests for CBO scoring, studies, and so forth?

If you think about it, the work that you've been doing with Russia and the other countries of the former USSR, it makes sense for you to look at some of the Middle East countries because you have a similar situation going on.

We appreciate tremendously what you and your staff do. It is a world-renowned institution and the quality of your work is absolutely incredible.

I guess the question I ask, is there more that you could do to raise dollars for the program that would in essence help us with this budget?

So, that kind of depreciation doesn't cover everything.

We don't budget some type of a sinking fund or depreciation fund for these big projects?

We're going to be pressed to find additional savings this year compared to the budget that was submitted to us by the President.

the point that Senator Hoeven made about the importance of setting priorities, of deciding what really has to happen

I'm just looking for any recommendations you have that might enable you to do your job more cost and time effectively.

there are two kinds of schools of thought. One school of thought is everybody should take a proportional reduction.

I think we're going to be required to find more savings.

Is there something the Congress could do that you think would be beneficial in terms of assisting you in what you do?

How about the Union Square property? That's about $7.3 million. Is that something you have to do, or is there something else you can do that will work for some period of time?

I appreciate very much the work that you do and recognize the challenges that go with it.

Would you talk about that a little bit?

I was recently in Egypt and met with the speaker of the parliament and other members of the Freedom and Justice Party, which is actually the Muslim Brotherhood.

We want a relationship with those countries.

I think we should take a look because it might be something that would be worthwhile and something we should pursue.

Among the things we talked about was the possibility of parliament members with the Freedom and Justice Party coming here and possibly interacting with Members of Congress.

It is on schedule. It is under budget, and we intend to finish that in fall of this year.

I would like to hear from you about how this process worked within your agency.

I think that's a requirement when you build it, isn't it?

we're in challenging times from a budgetary standpoint, and so it's incumbent on all of us to figure out how we reduce the deficit and the debt and get our financial situation in order.