Well, we were also told that with the first TARP that that money would go to buy toxic assets.

Every independent group that has looked at this... has said that this carbon tax... represents a $300-billion-a-year increase in revenues.

We also keep talking about being bipartisan, but we do not act bipartisan.

I would also like to congratulate Senator Daschle on his appointment and welcome this former colleague and member of this institution.

I thought that the purpose of cap and trade was to have all of the money that was coming in from whatever was being taxed would go toward the solution of that tax.

Mr. Chairman, I want to welcome you back to the committee and congratulate you on being the first to hold a hearing on President-elect Obama's nominees.

I personally believe that we should have been offsetting some of the spending in this stimulus bill today.

Senator Kennedy and I also have a track record of finding solutions for problems Americans face on the domestic policy front.

This is a budget which has fundamental flaws.

Our healthcare system is broken and fixing it is one area where I hope this 80 percent rule comes into play.

We do appreciate the answers that we have gotten today and look forward to the same cooperative spirit and look forward to a quick confirmation so that we can get Senator Daschle in place doing the job that we need done.

Except that we are about to make it a Federal issue and a Federal tax, because we are talking about cap and trade, which is a tax, and that tax will be passed on to the consumer.