Maria Cantwell

I would like to turn to Mr. Desautel's comments as it relates to the impacts that rural communities are seeing and FEMA's designation.

Mr. Chairman, I would just like to welcome my constituent and witness, Mr. Cody Desautel from the Colville Tribe who is with us here today and thank him for coming.

I went to Bethel last February, along with several members of the Energy Committee, to learn about innovative solutions that Alaskans are coming up with.

What we want to do is, we want to give these individuals leverage in the marketplace.

I would hope you would look at this model and you would also look at the Basic Health Plan model.

I feel like the administration is creating a war on Medicaid.

The problem that we have is that the definition of that was left to the regulators to decide.

So you are saying you do not think that today there is a clear prohibition and you want to see a clear prohibition?

So I think you alluded to the damage that was caused by the implosion of our economy brought on by toxic financial instruments that did not have the backing that they needed.

In fact, I would say at some point in August that the Republican platform had a stronger position on Glass-Steagall than the Democratic platform.

I appreciate private sector experience, but oftentimes that experience is about answering to shareholders and other special interests. This is about answering to the public interest.

The Jones Act is a fact. I've been living with it. I have never voiced any opposition to it.

What can we do to provide more shipbuilding jobs in the United States of America?

We need to know that you are going to step up and say yes to that and work creatively with us to find those solutions.

I would hope that you could look at some of these and give me a more specific answer.

We desperately, desperately, desperately, desperately need the infrastructure investment.

I think we had a chance to discuss the state of Washington and how rapidly it is growing...

I would ask the Senator from California then, the question is on this process of deciding the authorization. I notice we had a few colleagues here who were--I don't know if they were coming to speak--but in the Senator's region, there is a…

Yes, and Faye Dunaway. So Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway did a movie a long time ago about the water wars in California; am I correct?

I have a question for the Senator from California. The irony of this situation--first of all, I appreciate the Senator from California, because she is such a stalwart in so many different ways on so many different issues. What people may…

I thank you for your steadfast leadership in the Senate. As to the fact that you are retiring, you are certainly going to be missed. I am sure you would like to have legislation on the water resources pass. I think you brought up a very…

I think it's very important that we protect consumers and that we're going to use the power of the Federal Government to help on these cases.

We would absolutely enforce in the area.

This is about empowering consumers through your organization and through attorneys general.

So you do not think it would be consistent while you are going through that process to approve anything that would be counter to that?