A budget is more than just a series of numbers on a page; it is an embodiment of our values.

We can lead this world and make it safer and more secure for our children and our grandchildren, for generations to come.

My job is exhilarating. It's challenging. I find that the governance part of it, the decision making part of it - actually comes - comes pretty naturally. I think I've got a great team. I think we're making good decisions. The the hardest thing about the job is staying focused. Because there's so many demands and decisions that are pressed upon you.

In a summer marked by instability in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, I know the world also took notice of the small American city of Ferguson, Missouri - where a young man was killed, and a community was divided. So yes, we have our own racial and ethnic tensions.

To try to blackmail a president into giving them some concessions on issues that have nothing to do with the budget.

Sometimes if your only approach is cutting spending at a time when the economy's contracting, then the economy will contract further.

What we have to do moving forward is to make sure that small businesses that account for most of the job growth in our economy are getting the kind of financing that they need.