you want the State or local entity to be invested, to have some skin in the game

It is inconceivable to me that Treasury has not acted. This is such a glaring loophole, and it does need to be closed.

I am very concerned from the work that we have done in this Committee and from what I have seen at the Armed Services Committee about the link between terrorism and drug trafficking.

As the Chairman has pointed out, this nomination comes before us at a time when the threat to our Nation posed by illegal drug trafficking is escalating.

An important part of the counternarcotics effort is to interdict and seize cash from the drug trade.

The horrific bloodshed that has resulted in the deaths of thousands in Mexico is not constrained to the southern side of the border.

I think if we are talking about ensuring high-quality, needed equipment, personnel, training, that having some sort of match... is absolutely essential.

I applaud FEMA for being responsive to the needs and concerns of stakeholders, but I am concerned that this pilot... is not acceptable.

Our Nation's homeland security grant programs are a vital part of enhancing our capacity to prepare for, protect against, and respond to a full range of natural disasters and manmade hazards.

We have worked for so many years to change the culture in the Federal Government to one of sharing essential information.

But my final comment to you is do not forget the northern border as well. That also is vulnerable.

It is inevitable that terrorist groups are going to link up with the Mexican drug cartels to smuggle either terrorists into this country using well-known successful smuggling routes or perhaps a weapon of mass destruction of some sort.

The 2009 National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy noted an even greater threat to our homeland security, and that is, the possibility of collaboration between drug cartels and terrorist groups.

The cartels' trafficking and the associated violence demand increased attention at the Department and across the Federal Government.

We still have barriers to the sharing of absolutely vital information.

That does not strike me as a very good sign that 2 years later we still do not have agreements with that many countries.

We have been seeking agreements with countries so that they share more information with us on potential terrorists.

I would say to my colleagues that there is a page with a picture of what an ID for a U.S. Senator looks like.