Commanders in these units... have better access to ranges, better interoperability with their active duty counterparts.

The fact that our Active component and Reserve components... are training together, planning together, working together, and some day will be flowing together.

They have to have special authority for that, would they not?

What structural or institutional barriers both within the Bureau and the Department remain to achieving that objective?

We can do law enforcement duties. But there is no intention on this particular case.

I thank the Chair. I am a proud Vermonter. My family has lived there for over 150 years. Yesterday, Vermont set an example for the Congress, and for the Nation. A Democratically controlled legislature and a Republican Governor, in a rural…

I am disappointed that you chose not to make any mention of this issue in your written testimony.

Well, I agree with you, and I must say I'm delighted to hear you say that as one who voted for your confirmation.

there was an acknowledgment on both sides that privacy was not being protected, that there was no reasonable safeguard for Americans' privacy.

I'm of the school that you make an agreement, you stick with it.

The last thing I would ask, about the Farm-to-School program, this has had enormous success. I take some credit for getting that program through originally.

Would you please help get this funding out the door as quickly as possible to help support these Farm-to-School programs around the country?

Bernie, do everything you can to prevent the privatization of the VA.

How will you work with me and the state of Vermont to resolve this issue and ensure that Vermont can continue its successful CREP partnership with the USDA in order to meet the state's ambitious water quality goals?

My fear is that we are going to see a drip-by-drip depletion of funds for the VA and the services they provide.

Every single day, the VA is doing phenomenal work all over this country.

this event that happened, whether it was Facebook or some other platform, was foreseeable and inevitable, and we did nothing about it.

I experienced what can and will never be duplicated in the private sector, and that is the communal aspect of VAs.