I think CBO's hands are tied, is my understanding, into a methodology that does not sufficiently take into account the different range of credit risks that we take as a government.

There is a systematic risk that we are underestimating the risks of the assets that we are claiming.

And failure to do so would absolutely mislead about the nature of those risks.

I think everybody on this committee is painfully aware of this problem.

The administration has consistently urged Congress to pass legislation that would give Medicare the same authority that Medicaid already has.

It would take a significant step, I think, in the direction of diminishing the risk of diversion.

I really, frankly, cannot think of too many higher priorities for this committee in the near term.

I helped to start a small bank in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania and the western part of New Jersey with the goal of lending to small businesses and local residents.

And we hope for a booming economy so they grow into that threshold.

Congress and the President attempted to deal with threats to our financial system, threats that were posed by a handful of the largest institutions in the world in 2010 through Dodd-Frank.

The rapid rate of consolidation away from community banks that has occurred since Dodd-Frank's passage is striking given that this regulatory overhaul was billed as an effort to end 'too-big-to-fail'.

Even though some of them have some of the healthiest balance sheets, business models, and relationships in the entire financial sector, the fact is compliance costs, at least a portion of them, are often fixed costs.

The fact that America no longer launches new community banks is devastating for Americans across the country.

Unfortunately, new regulations are straining the business of continuing to bank rural customers.

That means in 2023 we are going to have a $1.5 trillion smaller economy than we would have had based on your forecast.

Our average historical growth over these same time periods we are talking about is a little over 3 percent, 3.1.

Even what might seem nominally to be a small difference in the rate of growth, I guess my point is over time doesn't that end up having a very big impact on the standard of living of ordinary Americans?

Thank you very much, Doctor. My last question is for Ms. Potts.

Yes. Dr. Kabazie, this might be difficult to generalize, but I am wondering if you can give us any sense of how long a period of time it is safe for most people to be consuming a prescription opioid.

Allow Medicare to pay for methadone to treat opioid addiction; and Enforce parity by requiring private insurance to provide methadone as a treatment option.

It is really a major epidemic, and I thank you, Senators, for addressing it.

The Stopping Medication Abuse and Protecting Seniors Act of 2015 is one such proposal that has been introduced in by Senators Toomey (R-PA), Brown (D-OH), Portman (R-OH), Kaine (D-VA), and Casey (D-PA).

I have introduced bipartisan legislation, the Stopping Medication Abuse and Protecting Seniors Act.

I have just one quick follow-up for a second round, Dr. Ling, if I could...

Thank you for shining a spotlight on this devastating epidemic that we have in our region and across the country.