Matt Cartwright

I was reading the newspaper this week and it hit the headlines 2 days ago that carbon dioxide levels hit 415 parts per million, which is the highest in human history, the highest in 800,000 years.

What are you doing to facilitate programmatic reviews of renewable projects, instead of time-consuming, one-by-one permitting currently used?

Why is the Administration proposing to spend more of our scarce taxpayer resources on an energy source for which demand is declining?

The Administration claims to support an all-of-the-above energy strategy, but there really seems to be a preference for coal over renewables.

Carbon dioxide levels hit 415 parts per million, which is the highest in human history, the highest in 800,000 years.

In past Congresses I have been introducing a bill called the Elder Protection and Abuse Prevention Act, which would, among other things, expand the definition of elder abuse to include financial crimes and incorporate elder abuse…

I think it is an issue we need to work on together.

I think that the Internal Revenue Service and Congress are in this together.

Would it not make sense not to make those reductions?

But despite the fact the IRS has demonstrated that with additional funding, it can provide taxpayers with the assistance they need during tax season, this administration's fiscal year 2020 request calls for reducing funding for taxpayer…

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I read with dismay this morning that the Justice Department and the current administration has decided to continue to treat the Affordable Care Act as an unconstitutional wrong committed by the House and the Senate and signed into law by…

Well, I am dismayed to hear that you are willing to drive our healthcare system off the cliff with no plan for replacing it.

Given the position of the Senate Republicans and the President himself opposing any progress on healthcare for the next two years...

Our Republican colleagues in the Senate, and in particular Senator McConnell, have made it clear that they have no intention of introducing, let alone passing, a new healthcare law, a new healthcare plan for at least the next two years.

Can you talk a little bit about what you are doing to really concentrate on those rural areas where there is no Internet technology?

Unfortunately, about 80 percent of the 24 million American households don't have reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet that live in rural areas.

If you prevail--well, you are devoting scarce resources of your department toward that effort; are you not, Attorney General?

Should the law be struck down, millions of people who get their coverage through the ACA marketplace would lose their coverage, and tens of millions more would see their premiums skyrocket.

If you are successful in this lawsuit that you are supporting and the entire Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is struck down, millions of Americans who currently receive health insurance coverage under the law are at risk of…

I can't imagine that you would take that kind of dramatic, drastic action without even trying to evaluate the consequences for the American consumers.

Your decision to pursue this course of action in the Federal courts puts at risk not only critical consumer protections, such as those protecting individuals suffering from preexisting conditions, but also other important provisions of…

Your decision as our new Attorney General to throw the weight of the United States Department of Justice behind an effort to get the Federal courts entirely to invalidate the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional…

I would urge to do that and maybe we will work together.

My final question is about HRA. We just passed a bill for universal background checks with a list of specific sensible exceptions.