I believe, and I think there are other committee members here who would agree, that is imperative that tribal nations have the resources and the staff to develop competitive grant proposals.

This is going to be Administrator McCarthy's last time testifying before the committee.

The Smithsonian was created for an increase in the diffusion of knowledge.

The Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building is an icon on the National Mall and is right next to the Castle.

Last summer when the Agent Orange Act was coming to expire, 53 of us co-sponsored that and it ended with a whimper without even a floor vote.

But I would suggest to my colleagues here, why were we so willing to give up to the executive branch the authority to make these decisions, and why we gave away our power with the expiration of the Agent Orange Act.

Is it naive of me to think that after 25 years of that and the biennial reviews by the National Academy of Sciences, a meta-analysis of all the research that was out there, did we just do a wonderful job of picking the last two things they…

I think we need to take more of the lead on this. I think we need to make sure, because I think as science moves along, the research possibilities are still out there, and I think we are shutting doors.

It sounds like blackmail to me.

We have two different brands of fitness trackers that we wear to keep track of our activities.

There should be no tolerance for threats of violence and intimidation against public servants who are the conservators of America's nature.

We have talked a lot about endangered species, protected species, and now let us round it off with invasive species.

First reading the newspaper a while ago, I read the Federal Government is currently involved in an outrageous lawsuit over naming rights at Yosemite Park.

I think I am going to give you something else to be a little frustrated by.

However, the settlement did not include any administrative set-aside for the work that you do at Fish and Wildlife.

I think sometimes when people are talking about administrative costs, it is a very abstract thing.

The fiscal year 2017 budget request reaffirms this commitment and makes the necessary investments to preserve these special places.

Our treasures are vanishing. This is a program that has not received any funding since 2010.