José E. Serrano

The omnibus funding increase was a downpayment on the necessary investments needed for the IRS to succeed, and I believe that more investment is needed to help reverse these declines.

I do not want to sound like a Republican, but----

And I want to take this opportunity again to thank you for all you have done.

Well, they have done a great job.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. To your surprise, I actually understood that argument.

the concern that some people have is that you may be making or your agency may be making these decisions based on false assumptions

the attitude with the territories is whatever is left over.

You know what my answer is? America is great, we just need more people to share in its greatness.

I hope we are not putting them at risk in any way, because that is an agency that has been very effective in my community.

We are a country that does try, not as much as I would like to, you are hearing this from a liberal, try to take care of our veterans to the best of our ability.

In China, the budget is always on time. Is that the system we want?

A strong and vigilant SEC is vital to protecting not just those who invest in the financial markets, but the American people as a whole.

I have great respect, for instance, for the people who sit behind us.

I think it speaks well of the Appropriations Committee's more bipartisan nature.

I had the pleasure of going up there to the dedication ceremony for the Minidoka Dam.

But some of us feel that what made our country great was investing in our country also, investing in infrastructure, investing in education.

Well, I am glad to hear that you used the word enforcement because I keep telling this story, but it cannot be told enough.

I said, 'Why do you not just go to a college dorm? It will be resolved in a half an hour, if you get some of those kids in here.'

I am one who believes that, notwithstanding the omnibus situation that we always have at the end of the year, it is not this committee that causes that.

I think if we learn anything from that it is to be careful about the future, protect our country, try to give the working class people in this country less of a tax burden.

I vote in the Bronx, I pay taxes in the Bronx, I look forward to living there again.

We are a country, Mr. Chairman, that does worry about the senior citizen who doesn't have something to eat, and that costs money.

cutting Cuba off has not worked

We still have a good thing going in this country, and we shouldn't make it sound like the country stinks.

I think it is a loophole. I think it ought to be plugged.