Small businesses drive this economy and it is unacceptable that the President's budget proposal does not give them the tools they need to be successful.

This Congress has promised all manner of border security and port security to the tune of billions of dollars... yet we have - to date - funded our promises for port security at only $900 million. That's quite a distance between what we say and what we actually do.

Education is the key to success in life, and teachers make a lasting impact in the lives of their students.

To honor our national promise to our veterans, we must continue to improve services for our men and women in uniform today and provide long overdue benefits for the veterans and military retirees who have already served.

This nation's 23 million small businesses need a budget that reflects their value to the economy.

I have fought to protect those benefits that ensure better salaries for teachers across the Nation such as grants to pay off student loans and funding for Teach for America. Still, we must all do more to show our continued appreciation for our Nation's leading role models.

Education should be one of our top funding priorities; talking about it does not help the teachers and students who desperately need promises fulfilled.