"I said then that we were going to have a tsunami of foreclosures, and the administration basically said I was an alarmist."
"I want to commend you and the administration for taking the housing crisis seriously and developing a proposal that I think lays the foundation for some real relief to American families."
"One of the biggest lessons I have learned over this period of time is that some of these institutions simply will not police themselves and lenders will not modify their own, in many cases. Voluntary ..."
"Families like this army sergeant are all over America waiting for their lender or servicer to strike an agreement."
"This is a bittersweet hearing for me. My hermano, as we call each other, 'my brother,' is going to go serve the Nation, he's going to leave the Senate, where he has served with such distinction."
"We need to build a house of energy independence for America."
"Our first and foremost task will be to restore the integrity of the Department of Interior."
"We know the importance of technology in this committee, and how that holds so much of a key to our energy independence."
"We need to develop our resources, but we need to develop them in a thoughtful and responsible way."
"We will embrace the ethic of renewable energy with a new vigor and a new resolve."
"Mr. Chairman, since you paid for dinner last night, I will try to accommodate you."