NIH funds critical biomedical research in all 50 States and the District of Columbia.

It's an honor to be before you today.

Part of the reason is personal because my mother passed not long after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

The number of USERRA complaints and inquiries reported to the Employer Support of Guard and Reserve increased 164 percent between 2008 and 2010.

Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. That would be tragic.

I am glad I voted against that bill that calls for mindless sequestrations on the budget, domestic spending as well as defense spending.

We must bolster resources, funding, and staffing of Federal law enforcement agencies throughout Puerto Rico.

So the last comment I make is it is allocating resources.

I please ask you to be brief, because then I have a specific question for Admiral Lee.

So, please, I am begging and pleading with you to make sure that we have enough assets so that the Virgin Islands does not--ensure that the Virgin Islands gets the coverage that we need as well.

Imagine for a moment that this spike in violence were taking place in Florida. Does anyone seriously believe that Federal law enforcement agencies within DHS and DOJ would continue to conduct business as usual rather than surging resources…

This is not about funding a program. This is about saving American lives.

I have repeatedly called on the President and senior Federal law enforcement officers to establish a U.S.-Caribbean Border Initiative.

We cannot afford to have the U.S.-Caribbean Border underprotected.

We cannot win without the active involvement of the Federal Government to secure all of our Nation's borders.

We simply cannot do it alone. Unless Washington acts, these criminal organizations will only strengthen their foothold in the region.

I refuse to bury another one of my constituents knowing that the Federal Government considers itself another bystander.

Why does Puerto Rico receive less Federal funding for law enforcement purposes than State-side jurisdictions?