Rob Portman

Let me ask you this question. For those who were involved in the mismanagement, shall we say, of the conservative group tax-exempt filings, were there any consequences?

Seventy percent of the cases tagged for additional review--70 percent--were Tea Party cases.

I thank Senator Hatch for his long-time advocacy for kids, and specifically foster care kids who are facing issues at home.

Well, let me just, with regard to this question--and I will then turn back to Senator McCaskill.

So when I look at these decisions that you have made, I see them as being tax motivated, and they have worked for you.

One final one is just with regard to, again, page 25 of the appendix.

So, there was a tax barrier.

We lose jobs. You cannot expand, including in Columbus, Ohio, thank you.

America's businesses and workers are the best in the world, and we are not asking for a tax handout. We are asking for a level playing field.

Unless Congress acts, I believe that many more innovative American companies will be lost.

Cut the highest-in-the-world U.S. corporate tax rate to the mid-20s; bring America's international tax system in line with the rest of the industrialized world.

I think it is fair to say the tax savings were an important driver of the deal.

You showed the board how this acquisition would play out at three tax rates, as I see it here.

Including the tax advantages in going to Canada, as we talked about earlier.

I do not question what you are saying at all about the business reasons to have the combination.

Thank you both very much.

The U.S. Tax Code being the problem.

The final question I have is just briefly with regard to this inter-company lending.

It is about U.S. companies not being able to be competitive.

We cannot expect to create more jobs at home if we continue to punish businesses like Emerson who want to remain headquartered here.

Let me just focus you in on this one issue, though, that we are getting at, and I appreciate your comment earlier that you hope we could see a U.S. Tax Code that was a more level playing field.

So you were looking to grow more internationally.

This is about a problem here in Washington, D.C., which is a Tax Code that is dysfunctional.

Probably the best base erosion we could do is lowering the rate.

The American worker. So thank you for your work on this project of tax reform over the years.