On the recordJanuary 6, 2011
I want to thank the chairman of the House Administration Committee for his help and assistance as we worked through the transition. I also want to thank the ranking member the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brady) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews) as well who were designated by then-Speaker Pelosi to be a formal conduit for us on the transition. They were most helpful and gave us good insights. And I want to thank all the Members who participated and the staff whom we reached out to in a survey across this campus to say, How can we do this better? How can we be more efficient with our time and the taxpayers' money? Where can we cut costs? Today is that first installment. There is an old saying that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a single step forward, but it is a $35 million first step. We think we can at least save that in this effort today, and leadership really starts at the top. The American people have spoken loudly and clearly. They are very concerned about the economy and their jobs and their communities and they are equally and deeply concerned about the deficits that have been racked up by both parties over time. We have to turn that around, or we end up looking like some of these countries elsewhere around the globe that are facing financial ruin if they don't change. We have to change, too, and we are asking ourselves to take the first step here and save at least $35 million.
