Rep. Charles B. Rangel Holds a Hearing On the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget

Political Transcript Wire › September 07, 2009

Linked as:

Extract

Rep. Charles B. Rangel Holds a Hearing On the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS HOLDS A HEARING ON THE FISCAL YEAR 2010 BUDGET

MARCH 4, 2009

SPEAKERS: REP. CHARLES B. RANGEL, D-N.Y. CHAIRMAN REP. PETE STARK, D-CALIF. REP. SANDER M. LEVIN, D-MICH. REP. JIM MCDERMOTT, D-WASH. REP. JOHN LEWIS, D-GA. REP. RICHARD E. NEAL, D-MASS. REP. JOHN TANNER, D-TENN. REP. XAVIER BECERRA, D-CALIF. REP. LLOYD DOGGETT, D-TEXAS REP. EARL POMEROY, D-N.D. REP. MIKE THOMPSON, D-CALIF. REP. JOHN B. LARSON, D-CONN. REP. EARL BLUMENAUER, D-ORE. REP. RON KIND, D-WIS. REP. BILL PASCRELL, JR., D-N.J. REP. SHELLEY BERKLEY, D-NEV. REP. JOE CROWLEY, D-N.Y. REP. KENDRICK B. MEEK, D-FLA. REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, D-MD. REP. ALLYSON Y. SCHWARTZ, D-PA. REP. ARTUR DAVIS, D-ALA. REP. DANNY K. DAVIS, D-ILL. REP. BOB ETHERIDGE, D-N.C. REP. BRIAN HIGGINS, D-N.Y. REP. JOHN YARMUTH, D-KY. REP. LINDA T. SANCHEZ, D-CALIF.

REP. DAVE CAMP, R-MICH. RANKING MEMBER REP. WALLY HERGER, R-CALIF. REP. SAM JOHNSON, R-TEXAS REP. KEVIN BRADY, R-TEXAS REP. PAUL D. RYAN, R-WIS. REP. ERIC CANTOR, R-VA. REP. JOHN LINDER, R-GA. REP. DEVIN NUNES, R-CALIF. REP. PAT TIBERI, R-OHIO REP. GINNY BROWN-WAITE, R-FLA. REP. GEOFF DAVIS, R-KY. REP. DAVE REICHERT, R-WASH. REP. CHARLES BOUSTANY JR., R-LA. REP. DEAN HELLER, R-NEV. REP. PETER ROSKAM, R-ILL.

WITNESSES: PETER ORSZAG, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET

[*] RANGEL: The committee will come to order as we have the opportunity to review and ask questions of the president's budget. And most of you know Peter Orszag, who has served with us as the director of the Congressional Budget Office. And he has the experience, the background and, from what I've seen of his performance in the Budget Committee, not intimidated, but willing to give you an honest answer and also to take criticism where members on either side think that it's warranted, or even if it's not warranted.

Having said that, I want to welcome you, Mr. Orszag and thank you first for your willingness to serve your Congress and your country at a time where we have one of the most serious problems in our nation's history. And we know that you, like so many other people, have options. But your country and your president needed you, and I want to thank you and your family for being willing to help us to negotiate out of this very serious problem that we face.

Quite frankly, I find it difficult for me to find any criticism, but indeed, a lot of political courage for the president to actually say that he's willing to have the country know that war is hell (ph). It's not just a question of losing lives and careers, but also we should at least have the political courage to say how much does it cost and to put this in the budget, as you've done.

We've treated the alternative minimum tax and the paying doctors an appropriate reimbursement as though these expenses never was in the budget. And the president has put these things in the budget. And we have to have the political courage to wrestle with it and to get rid of this debt. It just seemed to me that on the question of a strong America, even as it relates on national security, that no nation that ignores the health needs of its poor and aged or fails to educate our children so that they can have a better than average chance to succeed in terms of trade and our presence internationally.

And then, of course, anybody will tell you that in terms of climate control, a complex, expensive pioneer-type of venture that we can't run away from if we want to maintain our position of leadership in the world, especially among developing countries that they depend on the United States, whether they want to talk about it or not. So these things -- nothing is free. You have to have a budget.

Someone has to pay for it. And I wouldn't think about taxing the rich, as so many people might suggest. It just seems to me that a nation has to be guided by what is right and moral for the majority of its people. And as long as you convince me that 95 percent of working people are going to get a tax cut, it's going to be very hard for me to believe that this is not the equitable way to go.

In any event, it's not going to be easy. And we want to cooperate and get the input of the minority because I for one know and care for them enough to know that they're not just going to com...

See the full content of this document