No one recommended closing but you had two ambassadors that made several, several requests and here is basically what happened to their requests. They were torn up.

I get asked constantly, why has no one been held accountable? How come not a single person lost a single paycheck connected to the fact we had the first ambassador killed since 1979? How come no one has been held accountable to date?

That was the decision that was made as a result of the processes that you put in place.

How come not a single person lost a single paycheck connected to the fact that we had the first ambassador killed since 1979?

He made it clear when he announced this committee. It was because the State Department turned over information in a FOIA request that had not been turned over to the previous committees.

That requires us to have the best information possible to make those decisions.

I was fishing for a compliment. Thank you.

If there is a problem within the agency, we need to know that.

We want clean water. I represent lots of communities in which there are not enough ratepayers.

Many issues facing rural communities are unique to those areas in an ever-increasing urbanized and technologically-advanced world.

I would tell you, Mr. Chrisman, in Kansas, the most common conversation I have with a Chamber of Commerce executive, an economic developer, a mayor, a city councilmember, when you are visiting a community and you want to talk about what is…

one of the primary interests in my running for public office was a belief in rural America and desire to see that it prospers

I cannot understand the public policy of that. It does not benefit the utility. It does not impact the end-user.

We do have some concerns about the public policy benefit of an action like a partial prepaid loan.

We have never been officially notified of a shortfall to begin with.

I want express my care and concern for the president and CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative, Jo Ann Emerson.

The loans do not go away. They are still going to be due and owing.

We believe that increasing the population limit to 20,000, with a priority given to smaller communities, would provide a benefit to rural America.