The taxpayers are going to want to know from us why we are spending $500 million to $800 million a year on something where we could have saved that much money.

Governing is about setting priorities, and given our current fiscal constraints--especially on non-defense spending--we are going to have to make some hard decisions this year to make sure the highest priorities are funded.

I think basically the administration has done something that other administrations have done for things they think Congress will find other money for.

It looks like everybody wants an appropriations process this year, so we're hoping very much that's possible.

This is an enormous step backwards.

Governing is about setting priorities.

Tell me--tell me where they are.

In my opinion we should be spending more, not less, on our Nation's water infrastructure.

Senator Feinstein and I are working on as many paths as we can toward places for safe storage of used nuclear fuel.

I get the impression you think the idea of low-enriched uranium fuel for the Navy vessels isn't such a hot idea.

But we collected money from the commercial users of the locks. I mean, it is one of those unusual circumstances where the barge owners came and said would you please raise our taxes and use those taxes to improve the locks and the…

Thanks, Mr. Chairman.

But the bottom line I think, if we cannot use that fund, there are zero dollars in your budget for cleaning up uranium enrichment sites in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio.

I think we ought to do all we can to create an environment in which we can continue to operate nuclear reactors safely.

I would guess that the idea of underfunding the inland waterways and the Harbor Maintenance Account did not come from the Army Corps of Engineers, but probably came from the budget process.

So four under construction.

So Senator Graham and others are right to want an answer to that.

We are subsidizing windmills for the 23rd year at $4 billion.

I think we ought to move on all the tracks at once if we want to do something about nuclear waste.

Should we not complete projects we have already started to build?

I think you are correct to try to address it in the budget, and we need to take sufficient time to deal with it.

Right. But basically so that it's not held out to be some big scientific mystery----

I mean, walking around Watts Bar, which is just about to begin to produce electricity in our region.

he has been a strong and effective member of the Commission, and we thank him for that and wish him well in his new role.

It very clearly put States, school districts, principals, teachers, and parents back in charge.