Quotes from Charles Boustany

Leaders need to compromise, negotiate with members of both parties and ideologies, and reform health care the right way - by developing a strong plan that encompasses the needs of all Americans.

If employed by employee stock ownership plan companies, working Americans can spend less time worrying about job security and retirement savings and enjoy a clearer path to prosperity.

I operated on too many people who could have avoided surgery if they'd simply made healthier choices earlier in life.

Trade plays an important role in empowering our nation, growing its economy, creating domestic jobs, and enhancing American competitiveness in the global chain of commerce.

Opening markets abroad through trade agreements is especially important for American small businesses and manufacturers to enhance growth and job creation.

Reducing health care costs for families requires increased competition in health insurance.

The United States cannot achieve significant economic growth without expanding exports.

I want to be influential as a legislator.

The incredible resiliency and spirit of the people of Louisiana is inspiring, to say the least.

It is my responsibility to ensure the Internal Revenue Service respects the Constitutional rights of all Americans while enforcing the nation's laws.

Clearly, the oil spill in the Gulf is a terrible tragedy; we lost 11 lives on the rig, and their families are suffering, and it's also an economic tragedy for our state and ecological tragedy for the Gulf. But Sept. 11 was a different type of event: it was an intentional attack on soil.

Trade transcends party lines here in Washington, and it unifies stakeholders across the globe.

Health reform should be open and transparent.

Washington Democrats see the IRS' overextended resources and automatically think the answer is to take and spend more of your tax dollars. I disagree.

As a physician, I treated hundreds of patients who needed long-term care, including ones with Alzheimer's.

Having more customers means nothing if America's small businesses cannot obtain the required capital to support their exports in the competitive international markets.

I want to dig in before I finish with a career here in Congress - be known as someone who was a really serious legislator, who had really good ideas and was willing to work across the aisle to get broad consensus to solve some of these problems the country is facing.

Just like American families, government agencies need to start doing more with less, and the Internal Revenue Service is no exception.

Before we start making blanket statements about abolishing the IRS, I think it's important to focus on what the tax code for the 21st century should look like.

I first learned of the value of employee stock ownership plans while representing Louisiana's 3rd congressional district, home of employee-owned Acadian Ambulance.

The robust benefits of employee stock ownership plans are hard to beat.

For people to escape poverty for good, we need better policies that support work, strengthen families, and move America forward.

Trade is a source of strength and an engine of growth for America.