As I noted in my opening statement, in 2009 a Stimson Center report said: 'the implementation of the NNSA Act failed to achieve the intended autonomy for NNSA within the Department of Energy.'

the original intent of the legislation creating the NNSA has not been realized.

management problems continue, in part, because NNSA and DOE have not fully agreed on how NNSA should function within the department as a separately organized agency.

The NAS report notes that the 'evolution' of the labs from nuclear weapons labs to 'national security labs' with a broader mission set is well under way.

The original intent of the legislation creating the NNSA has not been realized. The desired autonomy has not come into being.

Some current and former employees of the national labs have expressed concern to this committee that... this is harming their ability to do world-class research.

Science and engineering quality is at risk when Laboratory scientists and engineers are not encouraged to bring forth their creative ideas in partnership with NNSA to solve problems vital to our national security.

Going back to the early 1990s--to the Galvin Commission and before--there have been dozens of national commissions, studies, and reports recommending significant reform to the way DOE and NNSA govern and manage the labs.

The NAS study committee said it had examined many previous reports and efforts to fix the management relationship.

This hearing will examine long-standing, well-documented, and fundamental concerns with the way NNSA manages its labs and plants.

I believe the problem can be fixed.

I can't imagine what the rules and regulations would look like if Government had to tell them how they should have done their experiments.

The Governance structure of the NNSA is not delivering the needed results. This governance structure should be changed.

The implementation of the NNSA Act failed to achieve the intended autonomy for NNSA within the Department of Energy.

In today's fiscal environment, we cannot afford such inefficiency and waste, particularly when we are seeing major cuts to the pledged nuclear modernization funding in this year's budget request.

This hearing is not like most of the hearings that are taking place however, in that it is not looking directly at a particular agency's fiscal year 2013 budget request.

This hearing will examine longstanding, well-documented, and fundamental concerns with the way NNSA manages its labs and plants.

Frank Wolf, Congressman from Virginia, and I have tried repeatedly to go to Cuba--have been denied a visa each time--with the express purpose of going to the prisons.