"Just that the stakes are very high. The stakes are very high on this one."
"There were 50 votes to pass the Senate budget that did pass on March 23 that would have dramatically changed the sequester and made the cuts targeted rather than across-the-board."
"Let me just say in conclusion that there were 53 votes, I think, in this body at the end of February in the Senate to not allow the sequester to go into effect."
"I rely on my story, my experiences, and the experiences of people in communities across the country."
"They want their government to be there when they need some support and to help make sure they have the opportunity they deserve to succeed."
"I am going to make sure it represents the values and priorities of the people we represent."
"Yes, our constituents want us to take responsibility and tackle our deficit and debt."
"it does not make sense to focus exclusively on slashing programs that help the neediest"
"I do believe that his policy agenda is not being helpful."
"You cannot fix a balance sheet without fixing both sides of the balance sheet."
"If you spend more than historical averages and you have taxes and revenue that are less than historic averages, you are going to have a challenge."
"This committee will write a budget and we need to get it through the Senate by mid-April."