If the Administration does not come forward next year with this in their budget, it will not happen.

I think it should be as warm and as inviting and as unintimidating and as empowering to the families that enter it as possible.

Let me ask what your plans are to ensure these children can be offered up for adoption in a timely manner.

I am not satisfied with the answer.

I am going to continue to have hearings. And we are going to keep digging for facts and findings.

I draw the line when the system came into effect.

What I am hearing you tell me is, we have a new system. It is a Cadillac system.

How about if the child had more--how about more basic things? How about more significant--not procedural things, but how about basic facts about the child?

46 percent of foster children have current case plans. Could that be right?

But for you to come in front of this committee, or it is not just this committee, but in front of the public, in a public meeting or anyplace, and not be able to answer that basic question is a real problem.

But why was it laid out that way, is my question. Whose preference is it?

We have kids to worry about, we have projects to deal with, it has to get done, but you have to go sell them.

Maybe I wasn't clear. Could you spread that money out over time, is my question.

Okay. Another hearing, capital.

Let me just say that Senator Landrieu is absolutely right. There is a lot that we have to do.

So the figures that I cited, of course, are old figures in the sense that they were up to May of 2002.

Because we are dealing with the safety of the people of the District of Columbia and the visitors to the District of Columbia. And I think it is very important.

We just appreciate your interest and again thank you for requesting this GAO report.