Veterans come from all walks of life, and they live in small towns and big cities, in red states and blue states.
An institution that borrows on a non-prioritized basis would never contemplate borrowing on a prioritized basis. Doing so would undermine its standing in the bond market and suggest that it is not worthy of its strong credit rating. This type of self-imposed downgrade would materially affect its financial prospects.
No veteran or active duty service member should endure a long hospital stay alone. Yet sadly, due to the high cost of travel, all too often our military families are separated while America's heroes receive care. Sometimes families sleep in hospital parking lots, unable to afford long stays in a hotel.
Imagine a country where the vast majority of seniors live in poverty, a country where for many there are no golden years, but a time of struggle and dependence. That was the United States before the creation of Social Security, which has proven to be one of the most effective and important government programs in our history.
While many employers do the right thing and provide flexible schedules for disabled veterans, I felt that it was important to provide all disabled veterans with a solution that would help them have access to medical leave. Here's how our bill works: we accelerate the eligibility process for disabled veterans.
All taxpayers feel a tremendous sense of frustration as they see many tens of billions of dollars of bonuses paid to the same mega banks that were on the brink of bankruptcy and were only saved by massive government rescue money and support. We are not satisfied by the fact that many of them have paid the money back, nor should we be.
One of the things I've pledged is in my first hundred days, only to do bipartisan proposals. Wouldn't it be amazing if a president looked at the American people at the inauguration and said, 'I represent every one of you, whether you voted for me or not and this is how I'm going to prove it.'
Our national values demand that we assist the families of our men and women in uniform, especially at the time of their greatest need.
Low interest rates benefit individuals or investors who own or want to buy assets; in that regard, they disproportionately benefit wealthier Americans.
Representative democracy is in crisis in the United States.
With Washington already broken, the last thing we need is a left-wing version of the Tea Party.
I'm a Democrat in that I work towards progressive things, but I also am laser-like focused in my desire to actually get things done and not just talk about it.
The struggle these veterans face receiving adequate care for PTSD and depression is a tragedy that needs to be addressed, which is why I cosponsored the Clay Hunt SAV Act.
We already spend too few days in Congress working on meaningful legislation; we simply can't afford to waste more time on legislation that doesn't move the needle to improve the lives of everyday Americans.
I support giving President Obama the ability to negotiate and complete new trade agreements with some of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
Federal spending is like a massive ship that takes a very long time to turn.
As the founder and former chief executive of two publicly traded companies, I have had a great deal of exposure to how debt markets work.
The big legislative updates that we need to compete in the 21st century and to raise living standards have been blocked by a reluctance to seek common ground.
Instead of serving special interests, Congress should focus on the big picture. Globalization and technology have completely reshaped our economy in recent decades, and if we don't respond, we're putting the future of the middle class at risk.
I leave Medicare alone. I create a new system for everyone under 65 where they get health care as a right. It's a basic plan. We roll Medicaid into that, but then we allow people to have choices and get private insurance to supplement that basic government plan.
