Ron Wyden

I think Medicaid is a broken program. What I would like to see is poor people sitting next to their Congressperson in their doctor's waiting room.

These are people who in many instances are seeing double-digit premium hikes, and they are hearing across Washington that their premiums are going to go down.

A lot of the workers in this country who are being told they are going to get expanded choices, according to my analysis and Kaiser, are going to wake up and find they don't have that expanded array of choices.

I am trying to figure out what is in these bills that will lower their premiums, and I cannot find very much.

You know, these tax rules look like they go mostly to the well-off and we are interested in trying to come up with a way that will give you working-class people a tax break and help us to hold down costs.

How would you feel about having your health care taxed? about 107 percent say, 'No way,' usually accompanied by some pretty choice curse words before the words 'No way.'

To keep people completely in the dark as to who is being rescued and why, in my view, Mr. Secretary, is going to undermine the credibility that you are going to need in order to make additional reforms in the financial sector.

To keep the public in the dark on these counterparties does not pass the smell test.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why the American people do not have a right to know who the counterparties are.

In your view, does the Government have adequate legal authority to prevent future AIGs?

I would especially appreciate your listening to the good folks at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Secretary Geithner, it is good to have you here, and I know you have been logging some serious hours.

I think the President of the United States is trying to send the right message.

We have to put some changes in place and get out this issue.

I think the administration has to get into this issue.

I think that is a step in the right direction.

The previous administration just pushed the Forest Service constantly, almost to the brink of bankruptcy.

I think like health care, it goes right to the heart of how we are going to grow the economy.

I think my question with respect to taxes is: How does what you are proposing this year on taxes fit into the prospect of tax reform next year?

There have been thousands and thousands of changes to the Code in recent years.

I think we all understand the Tax Code is going to melt down next year.

Senator Snowe and I want to make sure this is bipartisan, and we look forward to those discussions today.

I appreciate that. I think time is short. We are going to have to move very fast.

The President, to his credit, called these bonuses 'shameful'.

Few developments have done more to harm public confidence in what is happening here in Washington than the news in the last few weeks of the financial institutions receiving Federal bailout funds paying out $18 billion in bonuses.