"first principle is you lead by example."
"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."
"I suspect Democrats don't feel any better than Republicans. Even if your pet projects on either side are buried in this spending, it is just not good business."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"We are going to get through our budget resolution process early on and through this debt ceiling negotiation."
"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."
"I see the House Budget Committee's responsibilities much more broadly I think than some."
"We shouldn't accept that it is just 1.7 or 1.8 or whatever the CBO is projecting."
"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."
"We need to continue to develop the B-21 and get it ready for showtime in the next several years."