What are the major challenges you see facing DOD laboratories and technical centers as they seek to stay technically competitive with their Federal, industry, academic, and global peers?

Secretary Gates, do you plan on focusing more effort on energy research and on investing in manufacturing of advanced energy technologies?

If we seek subpoena power, we would go to the Commission.

What steps will you take to improve the quality of the laboratories' technical workforce and research infrastructure?

But I think you are quite correct that this is the next area for these investigations to go.

This is a singular act of patriotism.

I believe the DOD can play a dual role of investing in advanced research and manufacturing of new energy technologies.

My experience is that over and over and over again we've seen official secrecy used not for national security purposes but to mislead the public and to frame or more particularly mis-frame an outside political debate.

It suggests to me that there is a significant lack of energy and interest within the intelligence community in truly policing this stuff.

We have, during my brief tenure on this Committee, over and over again seen alarming, appalling leaks of classified information.

I recall 8 years ago at this time, when we had a significant surplus in the Federal Government after the Clinton Administration.

I would hope that when you go to the Federal Reserve, that you would quickly ensure that this appropriate self-analysis is going forward.

Now we are desperate for capital and desperate people do desperate things.

We have to get back there. And the general question is how do we get back there, where we can confidently tell the American people that if you work hard you can expect a growth in your wages and your income.

if and when people get to the point of proposing things which would fundamentally alter the separation between banking and commerce, that is a judgment for the Congress to make ultimately.

the apparent policy of the Bush Administration was to at least cut taxes at a time where it was not quite clear you could maintain the surplus

I would hope that that procedure could be quickly abandoned and that the Enforcement Division could be given the direction to fairly but aggressively enforce the law.

I expect that we will be here often seeking that help.