Jack Lew

“Historically, the responsibility for voting on the debt limit has gone to the party in the majority.”

“If you look at the cost of providing health insurance, it actually doesn't cost more to provide a plan with contraceptive coverage than it does without.”

“We cannot win the future, expand the economy and spur job creation if we are saddled with increasingly growing deficits. That is why the president's budget is a comprehensive and responsible plan that will put us on a path toward fiscal sustainability in the next few years - a down payment toward tackling our challenges in the long term.”

“The reason to deal with Social Security is that it is a system where we have a tradition and history of making sure it is solidly funded for 75 years. At the moment, we look out and we see it is solidly funded until 2037.”

“The transition from tyranny to democracy is very hard. The Syrian people have to handle this in a way that works in Syria. And the brutality of the Assad regime is unacceptable.”

“It's going to be true that anything that reduces the federal deficit will have somebody unhappy.”

“If you have a student who graduates from college and they don't have a job, they are now able to stay on their family health plan.”

“I think it's very important not to confuse the importance of dealing with Social Security in the long term with these short-term deficit reduction challenges. They're different issues.”

“Europe is trying to get its fiscal house in order.”

“Most Americans want health insurance.”

“The budget is not just a collection of numbers, but an expression of our values and aspirations.”

“There are lots of ways to work together.”