I am also here today to speak on the importance of homeownership and foreclosure prevention programs in the President's budget proposal.

No matter how many times you say Social Security is broke, the reality is that Social Security's independent revenue stream and its Trust Fund's investments maintain the program's solvency until 2037.

We must ensure that every American has a roof over their head by funding $2 billion in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

We are starting down a road of playing Russian roulette with the American economy.

It's clear that we must end the war in Afghanistan and instead make smart security investments to safeguard our nation's interests and improve our long term security.

H.R. 1, the Budget Resolution for the next fiscal year, would reduce funding for this budget by a whopping 41 percent.

America pays its bills. Extending the debt limit is not about incurring new obligations; it is about honoring past obligations.

Social Security, as you can see from this chart, has never contributed one dime to the national debt or any of our deficits.

This is why I strongly support adequate funding for viral hepatitis programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While there are so many vital programs to defend throughout this budget, I am here today to call your attention to several programs that are critically important to creating jobs...

The economic recovery of my district, the State of Rhode Island and our whole country demands that we work collaboratively...

Nothing is more crucial to our nation's long-term future than an educated citizenry.

I strongly support LSC funding.

For every dollar of Federal investment, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership delivers $32 in economic growth.

It is our responsibility to ensure that children who come from disadvantaged families have the same opportunities as their peers.

We have a responsibility to provide Americans with the skills and opportunities they need to be successful in the global marketplace.

I respectfully urge this committee to fully fund these critically important economic initiatives at the levels requested in the President's fiscal year 2012 budget.

We must increase funding for job training by increasing funding for the Workforce Investment Act to $4.5 billion.

The best approach to broadening the risk pool and bringing down costs is to extend Medicare for all individuals and establish a single payer system.

We should not use the debt limit ceiling as a hostage.

We must never balance the budget on the backs of the unemployed, middle-class families, government workers, or seniors.

It would be disingenuous for me to promote my legislation using the deceitful claim Social Security is broken or faces an imminent crisis.

Extending all of the Bush-era tax cuts, especially those for the wealthiest Americans, for two years is not the best way to begin addressing the deficit.

With rising costs for gas, food, and rent--proposing drastic cuts to education, housing, and healthcare will place additional burdens on the most vulnerable among us--jeopardizing the lives of millions of Americans.

The motion imminent crisis we face is one that we can address right now in our 2012 budget.