"My hope would be that there could be some level of financial support still given to the State and local areas..."
"What gets measures gets done."
"I had inherited a $6 billion deficit on a $34 billion base."
"We are looking for other areas at the VA, Education, Treasury, and elsewhere, where there are these customer-facing services."
"I want to make sure every member--you know, one thing I have learned as a new member, if you make sure everybody gets involved, they actually come back."
"I think it is terribly important that we have not only these broad management goals, but that we actually have some customer service goals."
"I guess I will take it as kind of a left-handed compliment that Congress is not-- what did you say?-- 'a performance wasteland.'"
"Very interesting."
"Thank you. I am very intrigued. I am not sure how we could translate that, although maybe the Budget Committee would be the place."
"My hope is, Senator Bunning, with the red ink as far as the eye can see, if we do not see this as an opportunity to actually move a little more quickly, then shame on us."
"$12 trillion of debt today, commitments that are in law already that will add $9 trillion to that in the next 10 years, $21 trillion. It is, as we say, unsustainable."
"we have proven ourselves as an institution--Congress, political leadership, President--incapable of dealing with this problem of stopping the indebtedness."