Sadly, the District's public schools continue to underperform despite an expenditure per pupil rate that is the third highest in the Nation.

Sadly, D.C.'s public schools continue to underperform despite an expenditure per pupil rate that is the third-highest in the Nation.

The program's popularity is illustrated by the long line of parents waiting to enroll their children.

Unfortunately, the $12 million provided for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program would only allow currently enrolled students to remain in the program.

I also join the Chairman in welcoming David Heyman as the nominee to be the Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security.

Which is another reason for continuing the program to assess its impact because you are going to have that adjustment year, as you pointed out.

So their future does not look as bright as yours does as the result of your having this opportunity.

Today's hearing on the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program allows the Committee to consider the merits of a program that has provided additional educational options for some of our Nation's most at-risk children.

These stories help us understand the real world implications of cutting off this promising program.

NTEU supported an amendment offered by the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME), to the fiscal year 2010 budget resolution, to…

We need more emphasis on military construction to properly modernize and maintain the industrial infrastructure.

Although I am encouraged by this good news, I continue to be concerned about the lack of alignment between the branches' funding timelines, which could increase the overall cost to the taxpayer and threaten the viability of the project…

I am disappointed that the Administration's fiscal year 2010 budget provides only a slight overall increase in homeland security funding for DHS.

the President's proposed budget would provide no funding for polar icebreakers.

How are you going to meet the legislative mandate of the SAFE Port Act with regard to the centers at high-priority ports when you are zeroing out the funding?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

the Coast Guard is in danger of losing its polar icebreaking capacity.

But when I talked to the Coast Guard about this issue, and I asked the question--What is the back-up going to be?--there is not an answer to that.