I find it odd that somebody would even suggest inferentially that this benefit provision, could itself constitute discrimination against folks in opposite-sex relationships...

So I'm going to be an enthusiastic supporter of H.R. 2517 and encourage my colleagues to do the same.

I completely concur, and I think that's the correct way to frame the issue for the Federal Government moving forward.

We've got a lot of Federal employees ready to retire in the baby boom generation. How are we going to replace them...

As Representative Baldwin indicated, look at other ways of trying to address the issue of fairness in the provision of benefits.

There's no question, Mr. Connolly, this is a very valuable tool.

Yes, but in this particular case we have a report from the GAO that says that in this, with respect to the V-22, this is a chronic problem.

Dr. Rivolo, you use some pretty strong language. You used the word 'reprehensible.' You used the word 'disingenuous' to describe the Marine Corps management of this project and this particular aircraft.

Our acquisition challenges are real. With these systemic challenges, it is not surprising that we have not resolved problems exemplified by the V-22 Osprey.

I hope that we can use the lessons from the V-22 to identify steps that we can take to avoid repeating these mistakes in the future.

We should not need the GAO to identify problems with continual and unforeseen increases in cost.

With the dramatic rise in volume and value of contracts, we must enhance our management and oversight capacity so we are maximizing return for the taxpayer.

The human face of health care reform is real; it is 46 million Americans and rising without any health insurance.

To begin with, in terms of health care costs you outlined the President's goals.

I urge you to come up with a number that reminds the American people of what that would be if we in fact do not have health care reform.

I think the other way that the two go together is just in a practical sense, that at a time when you are thinking about doing an expansion of care to the millions of Americans that are not covered now, that is a very natural time to do the…

But Dr. Romer, you don't have any study that says, hey, that is the one variable that somehow would get our handles around the cost of rising health care?

We cannot put a price on a child's life; however, we can recognize that it is far more cost effective to proactively treat the symptoms of appendicitis rather than treat the results of a burst appendix.

It is the fact that a child with appendicitis is five times more likely to die without health insurance, than if he or she was covered.

It sounds to me like this may be one of those areas that needs to be clarified in the law.

I particularly want to thank the chairman for holding these hearings that are clearly of importance to all of us in the National Capital Region, especially those who live in the District of Columbia.

I had an experience locally, here at the Lorton Prisonsite that was transferred to Fairfax County.

If you could get it back to the committee for the record, that would be very helpful because we need to look at the scope of the problem.

There is, however, one critical area in which I believe the Fed has failed to act--the municipal bond market.

I respect the Federal Reserve's various efforts to stabilize the current crisis.