Gerry Connolly

The President has proposed a national strategy to deal with this, has he not?

The President's own Council of Economic Advisers estimates the cost of this crisis to the U.S. economy--is a half a trillion a year.

And obviously we're underfunding treatment right now?

So that would suggest whatever we're investing or need to invest in treatment will have a huge return on it, given that cost.

There is no way we can move forward without this being on a bipartisan basis. This is a crisis that affects every community, every socioeconomic strata.

It's not regulated, not uniformly.

To my friend, Mr. Meadows' credit, he has gone into Federal agencies and actually had work sessions with employees to hear their perspective to learn more.

I don't know a CEO of a business who would hold his or her job doing that to the workforce; but that's neither here nor there.

The first significant negative comment with respect to the last 8 years actually came from the person who became Speaker of the House, John Boehner, when he gave a speech in the fall of 2010 in Cincinnati, in which he explicitly disparaged…

I find that remarkable, given the fact that this committee has actually had hearings condemning official time.

I don't know how else to interpret this proposal other than to see it as a sign that you and President Trump and this administration are attacking widows and orphans who rely on COLAs just to keep up with inflation.

I was appalled. One of the most breathtaking proposals is the provision to eliminate COLAs for employee death benefit and child annuity.

This amendment ensures that the new U.S. development finance institution will be subject to the same rigorous transparency and accountability standards as any other foreign assistance program.

This amendment is consistent with the goal of the Global Partnerships Act, a comprehensive reorganization of the Foreign Assistance Act.

I support all of the six bills in front of us and congratulate our colleagues for their hard work.

Primarily, it was the release of funds that had been frozen pursuant to sanctions and I got news for my friend from California--you got to have carrots and sticks if you're going to have an agreement.

I thank the chair for holding this hearing on a day that I think is a very momentous day in terms of foreign policy in which the President is about to make a decision fraught with consequences and that could lead to the very thing we are…

We look forward to Speaker Ryan's response. If it's not a response, or it's not adequate, then I think we're going to revisit this issue on the floor.

I think that's just kind of classic standard spiritual guidance. And very consistent with catholic social justice that I might add.

That's not only -- not fair it's a bigoted statement. It is clearly discriminatory on its base.

When they say its not political, its political.

No. Frankly, Speaker Ryan has given no official reason at all.

I think compliments are due to you, Mr. Hurd, Mr. Meadows, Ms. Kelly, for your constant follow-up in these activities, and that is what can be yielded, billions in savings, more efficient operations, but it requires that commitment.

I think this is a great example of what you were talking about in response to my colleagues, the collaboration actually, not just guidance from but hands-on collaboration from GAO and this committee in trying to effectuate positive change…

What we always hope for is a resolution that balances the interests of the community with the need to make necessary transportation improvements.