We know, for example, that 30 million Americans would lose coverage, with the vast majority in working families.

These meaningful protections have improved the lives of people around the country, protections that are being threatened.

this hearing is part of a larger agenda to repeal the Affordable Care Act root and branch, despite the fact there's no credible plan to deal with the chaos that repeal would create.

I think Congress has put all of you in a very, very difficult position and that we simply cannot have it both ways.

And let me say, I started off very prejudiced, having been a military spouse, and my father-in-law ran the commissary. So, you know, I am starting off in a position of actually knowing what this means to families.

I find this breaking a social contract.

I hope that will get the full measure of consideration.

I think that speaks to the value and the importance that we put on them, not that we value any of our civilians less, but just that their work is so time-sensitive.

I think the American public would be really interested to hear that what we are actually talking about, ultimately, is it OK to dump mining waste within 100 feet of a stream.

Now, the reason the government was shut down was not because they had a problem with the parks. It wasn't anything else that they were worried about.

I can't imagine that there's anybody who works in a national park or dedicates his or her life to serving the public, that anyone would say, oh, let's close it during their busiest season.