I think Congress should be able to call Carol Browner, the President's energy and environmental czar, to ask her about the negotiations that she conducted with the automobile industry.

this issue has been of concern to me for many months.

I will continue to call them 'czars,' at least to the conclusion of this hearing and until a solution is found.

When Congress passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, which we wrote in 2004, we created by statute a Director of National Intelligence.

the basic strength of our country, of a democracy, is transparency.

private meetings are not the same as public hearings. And they are not. The public cannot see them.

I am not proposing that the President be barred from creating these new positions to focus on important policy priorities.

The responsibility of Congress to oversee the Executive Branch is fundamental to our constitutional system.

We thank Members of the Committee who have added their names as cosponsors or indicated their support for the legislation.

If the Federal Government fails to attract or retain employees because of a lack of competitive benefits, then the impact of these retirements will be magnified.

In light of that Executive Order or memorandum, could you please explain, in case we get this question, why our legislation is still needed?

If the Federal Government is to compete with the private sector as well as with State and local governments for the most talented members of our workforce, and if our goal is to create a loyal, dynamic Federal workforce for the future…

I believe that our legislation will help to promote a strong Federal workforce.

The title of this hearing really says why we have introduced this bill.

opponents of our bill raise the issue of fraud, of people trying to get benefits by pretending that they are in domestic partnerships

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I have to tell you that I thought that your testimony here today is as misleading as these marketing materials.

But that is nowhere on this document.