The simple truth is that the rich are becoming much richer while the middle class continues a 40-year decline.

I am delighted that President Obama proposed this reallocation plan in his budget request.

Does that concern you, that the collective amount coming into the Federal Government from corporations, in general, have declined precipitously?

Am I correct that you also understand that in an economy where 70 percent of our GDP is based on consumer demand, that when we have millions and millions of people who have literally no disposable income, it is going to be hard to grow the…

Right now, in the midst of massive wealth and income inequality which we see in our country, a Wall Street CEO who makes $20 million a year pays the same amount into Social Security as someone who makes $118,500. That is wrong.

In my view, the best way to extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund over the long term is to eliminate the cap that currently exists on taxable income that goes into the Social Security Trust Fund.

It is unacceptable to people throughout this country that millions of our young people cannot afford to go to college.

the top one percent earns more income than the bottom 50 percent

The typical male worker, despite huge increases in productivity, made $783 less last year than he did 42 years ago.

At a time when the U.S. spends more on the Pentagon than the next nine countries combined, and when over half of our discretionary spending goes to the Pentagon, we have got to pay close attention to this issue.

For most Americans, the economic reality of today is pretty clear.

I would hope very much that we in the Senate will move to confirm you and remove the 'Acting' from your title.

I think that, frankly, that set of priorities does not make sense to me.

Many of my Republican colleagues believe that what is best for the country in the future is basically to cut, cut, cut, cut, cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, nutrition, et cetera, et cetera.

Instead of having a record-breaking $1.4 trillion deficit, as we did when President Bush left office in January 2009, the Federal deficit has been cut by more than two-thirds.

Today millions of Americans are working longer hours for low wages. We have the highest rate of childhood poverty of any major country on Earth.

I thank you for your advice, but that is advice that this Senator will not accept.

At a time when more Americans are unable to go to college, the President proposes the first two years of community college to be free, that is exactly the right thing to do.

Does it concern you that when we talk about deficits and national debts, my Republican colleagues are not forthcoming in asking large corporations that pay nothing in Federal income taxes now to start paying their fair share of taxes or…

do we ask those people who are doing extremely well to start paying their fair share of taxes so that we can invest in our economy and reduce the deficit

It is unacceptable that each and every year, millionaires, billionaires, and profitable corporations avoid $100 billion in taxes.

The bottom line to me, Mr. Chairman, is when we put people to work, when we have the best educated workforce in the world, people will be paying more taxes.

Does it concern you that we have seen a massive shift in income and wealth inequality in this country so that we have the highest proportion of inequality in the world?

Under President Bush, my Republican colleagues passed huge tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires and some of the most profitable corporations in this country.

So the bottom line is, short term, we have to do what has been done 11 times in the past. Long term, we have to work together to make Social Security solvent for our kids and our grandchildren.