John Spratt: “I yield 12 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), the dean of the House, and I ask unanimous consent that…”

I think it is a bit irresponsible to at least articulate to the American people, to the Congress, why you think we need a new policy direction.

We convene today to review the state of our economy, a dismal state, and its interaction with the budget.

Nobody should be financially destroyed due to a catastrophic illness.

I want to thank Congresswoman Gwen Moore for suggesting this hearing and for her role in bringing it about and putting it together.