"I would also say that Republicans have contributed their fair share to this irresponsible fiscal State of the Union."
"I contend that the Budget Committee is an A committee because there is not a bigger problem to solve, there is not a greater challenge that we face as a Nation than our runaway spending."
"It is going to be a great and satisfying endeavor to go with Brendan Boyle and my Democrat colleagues into the process and make those fundamental reforms."
"What they may not see enough of, unfortunately, if they are watching cable news, is that we have a lot of common ground and consensus around making this process work better."
"I know Sheldon Whitehouse, who is chairing the Budget Committee in the Senate, is big on the debt-to-GDP targets with a glide slope down. I love that idea."
"I think fixing the broken process, because fundamentally having systemic problems with the institution, or i.e., broken process, is very difficult to yield anything but broken outcomes."
"To me, we have got a lot of good things that we can do for our country, a lot of very difficult decisions to make."
"If we don't intervene, I think the outcome will be disastrous--and possibility irreparable--if it is a sovereign debt crisis."
"We shouldn't accept that it is just 1.7 or 1.8 or whatever the CBO is projecting."
"Scott Peters and I from San Diego, Democrat, introduced the Responsible Budget Act that would actually replace the debt ceiling with real debate over real reforms."
"God Bless America, I mean, seriously. In this institution, you guys are still, you know, giving Americans and Members of Congress hope because of your constructive, bipartisan work."