Sander Levin Quotations

Retirement security is often compared to a three-legged stool supported by Social Security, employer-provided pension funds, and private savings.

In 1940, President Roosevelt called on American industry to become the 'great arsenal of democracy.' Automotive manufacturers in Michigan responded and converted their assembly lines from cars to tanks and helped America win World War II.

Power, that's one thing, but love of family and of siblings is more important, is more powerful than any other power - at least earthly power, at least earthly power.

I had panels - roundtables in the district - and the stories that were told are really difficult to accept. People who have diabetes who can't get insurance because of a preexisting condition; others who were laid off and the have no place to turn.

Through good times and bad, American workers and their families have been able to rely on Social Security to provide guaranteed protection against the loss of earnings due to retirement, disability, or death.

That's what healthcare reform is about: the middle class's economic security.

I was essentially trained by World War II vets who combined a progressive view of life with a deep distrust of anything authoritarian.

When people think about Michigan, they usually think about cars.

Women, on average, earn less than men in almost every occupation, including traditional female orientated jobs like nursing and teaching.

Opponents of health care reform would take away consumer protections - siding with the insurance industry instead of the middle class. We can't afford that.

We need for America to get back to basics and focus on the middle class's quality of life. Healthcare reform is vital to restoring that standard of living.

You have to separate what needs to be done to avoid the fiscal cliff and what needs to be done longer range. It's a mistake to essentially collapse those two - they're not the same. I don't think you can achieve everything at once.

Dave Camp has been very much influenced by, and often guided by, the radicalization of the Republican Party... and too often failed to speak out.

It is imperative that women have quality affordable day care available to them because without it, families suffer.

Michigan has a lot at stake in the defense industry, and the defense industry has a lot at stake in Michigan.

The Ways and Means Committee for me has this opportunity to work with programs where I can take my parents' sense of community and make it work.

We have to create jobs but also make sure that those who are looking for work aren't just left without any assistance whatsoever.

What motivates me is everything that I have been a small part of.

In terms of Medicare, I'm in favor of sitting down and having a serious discussion about the likely impact of the Affordable Care Act, health-care reform, on the cost issue and changing the fee-for-service structure.

My brother and late sister and I were raised in Detroit; it was where the middle class across racial lines, the middle class was able to develop, build a home, have for the first time retirement benefits, have a job, and yes, their kids began to go to college.

The When Women Succeed, America Succeeds economic agenda will enable women to achieve greater economic security, raise wages for women and their families, and better allow working parents to support and care for their families.

Extending federal unemployment insurance is vital for millions of Americans laid off through no fault of their own, and it serves as an important economic stimulus.

The armored vehicle manufacturing base is not a light switch that can be turned on and off at will. If we mothball production of systems like the Abrams tank, it will take time and money to get this capability back.

Where is the action? Once again what we have the Treasury doing is talk and no action, and that hurts our manufacturers and our workers.

The plan outlined today is riddled with uncertainty for everyone: for those who are counting on a guaranteed benefit it would bring uncertainty by making Social Security's shortfall worse; for those who might hold a private account, it would bring uncertainty about how the accounts would be funded after the surplus is exhausted,

I am convinced that a day-to-day, fully staffed, high-level commission, with its focus being human rights issues ... will be far more effective than our annual review,

We need to take a look at the whole budget. But we ... are in a bind, ... They (Republican leaders) have put the nation in a bind, fiscally.

The president has made a commitment to rebuild and we need to fulfill that commitment, ... We cannot be an absent partner, or one who reneges, especially since the federal government failed miserably in taking action when the hurricane first hit.

We start from scratch. Everything has to be on the table.

You ought to tell the Republicans we're working, ... We understand everybody can't be here, but we're working ... I want to emphasize, we've got to relate that to the airline industry.

This is great news for 12 Michigan communities who are able to take part in this comprehensive anti-drug prevention program, ... I am pleased to have co-authored this legislation and grateful to be able to watch it help hundreds of communities around the country and in my home state of Michigan.

This commission is going to have two-thirds congressional membership. It is going to be up to us to make it work. Give it a chance.