Bernie Sanders

We are in a remarkable moment in American history and in fact, in world history.

Too-big-to-fail is too-big-to-exist.

I am strongly supportive of the nomination.

I hope, also, that we are going to give you the resources you need to get the doctors and nurses and other personnel that you need so that we do not have this crisis in years to come.

I hope very much that we will be able to do that and I hope we will be able to do that before we leave here for the recess.

What I pray is that through a superb Chairman and through people like Patty Murray, the head of the Budget Committee, and others, that we will provide you with the resources that you need.

Now, in a nation in which 40 million people have no health insurance, a nation where we spend almost twice as much per capita on health care as any other Nation, a nation where 45,000 people die because they do not get health care, now…

No person who put their lives on the line to defend this country should be homeless.

Mr. McDonald's job will be to, in a very significant way, in a bold way, start addressing those problems.

You cannot hire people without paying them. You cannot build stuff without paying for it.

I have a fear about what we will do as a Congress to support you so that we are not just blathering bromides of good feeling and good will.

We want to make sure that in that transformation, as we bring down the wait times for benefits--for claims, that we do it in an accurate way.

It is my strong opinion that if VA is going to do quality health care that it needs to do, we are going to need--simply need more doctors, more nurses, more medical personnel, more productivity in the VA.

I have been a champion of funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund since I got here almost 20 years ago.

But we have to look at the broad picture and understand that if we don't transform our energy system and move away.

The most important issue facing our planet is not being discussed.

It has only been funded, fully funded, to the authorization level twice.

I think we have to limit what we are talking about.

If we do not move away from fossil fuels and transform our energy system away from oil and coal and gas to sustainable energy and energy efficiency, the truth is that while, yes, I know extraction of fossil fuels will create jobs, will…

The extent of forest fires today and the frequency of them, clearly, has a lot to do with the warming of the planet.

At the 50th anniversary I think we need to give it a good old try.

I do believe that now is the time to transform our energy system.

Extreme storms continue to cost us billions of dollars each year.

I'm not a believer in all of the above. I know it's a catchy bumper sticker statement.

I do believe that if we're going to say this planet and make it habitable for our kids and our grandchildren, we have to rethink some of the basic premises.