Anybody who's ever dealt with me knows not to mess with me.

Think of an economy where people could be an artist or a photographer or a writer without worrying about keeping their day job in order to have health insurance.

When President [Barack] Obama was sworn in on the steps of Capitol, he asked for swift, bold action now for jobs and education for the 21st Century, a list, an agenda. One week and one day from that swearing in, the House passed the ARRA, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Time is our most finite commodity, therefore our most valuable, and I respect other peoples' time.

Women have come a long way, but it never fails to sadden me when I see younger women saying we have to overcome some obstacles.

As we move forward to debate our economic and fiscal challenges in the weeks and months ahead, one thing is clear: Our economic agenda, choices and decisions, will be viewed through the perspective and the eyes of our nation's women and their needs and those of their families.

Bipartisanship is nice, but it cannot be a substitute for action, not having it cannot prevent us from going forward.