In 1961, President?elect John F. Kennedy said that public servants would be judged by whether they were:
“truly [people] of dedication — with an honor mortgaged to no single individual or group, . . .but devoted solely to serving the public good and the national interest.”
To our witnesses today, I say: President Obama has nominated each of you to serve the public good and the national interest. Each of you has traveled a long road to get here today. And in so doing, you have shown dedication to the positions for which you have been nominated, to our President, and to our country.
But history will judge you — and indeed all of us — not by the dedication that we have shown so far. History will judge us by the dedication that we show until the last moment that we serve the American people.
Mr. Goldstein, President Obama has nominated you to be the Under Secretary of Treasury for Domestic Finance. In this role, you will oversee our domestic financial system and fiscal policy.
As we seek to recover from the Great Recession, create good jobs here in America, and create sustainable economic growth, we will have to rewrite the rules by which our domestic financial system works.
We cannot reward those who put America’s economic stability in peril by taking untenable risks. We cannot create economic growth by borrowing at unsustainable levels.
Rather, we must spur private sector job creation. And we must put the good of the country before the good of any individual person or company.
Mr. Goldstein, I urge you, once confirmed, to fill the position of Under Secretary with honor. I urge you always to put the stability of the American economy and the fiscal health of our nation first. And if you accomplish this, history will judge you as a person of dedication.
Mr. Sanchez, President Obama has nominated you to be Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade. In this capacity, you will head the Commerce Department’s international trade initiatives.
You will push forward the President’s recently announced initiative to help double American exports in 5 years. You will administer U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty laws. And you will monitor foreign compliance with U.S. trade agreements.
Mr. Sanchez, I urge you, once confirmed, to fill the position of Under Secretary with honor. I urge you to put the competitiveness of our country first.
And in doing so, I urge you to remember the needs of small and medium sized businesses like those in Montana. Companies in rural states like Montana support their local economies. They are pillars of the community. They offer world class products. And our trade programs should help them to sell in global markets.
If you accomplish this task, history will judge you, too, as a person of dedication
Dr. Glied President Obama has nominated you to be the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at Health and Human Services. Planning and evaluation is one of the least recognized but most important functions in the Department.
The research and analysis, policy development, and the planning and evaluation functions in which your office is engaged underpin much of the Department’s activities.
The Department must have a strong foundation of evidence to inform its decision making. The Department must evaluate legislation that has been implemented. And the Department must understand the effects of potential changes under consideration.
Dr. Glied, I urge you, once confirmed, to fill your position with honor. In encourage you to put the needs of the American people first, and evaluate the effect that HHS policies will have onthe American people.
One of your responsibilities will be to bring the office back up to par. You will need to restore the excellent reputation and status that it once had. If you accomplish this task, history will judge you as a person of dedication.
I congratulate each of you on the dedication and perseverance that you have shown thus far. I encourage you to bring even more dedication to your future positions. And I am confident that the American public and our national interest will be better for your service.
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