I really want to thank all of you for your warm comments about your spouses, and I think we all know how important family is.

We need cyber operators not just technicians and a culture that sees cybersecurity as a military capability.

Will you ensure that your office will work with the DOD labs, and other science and technology organizations like DARPA, to ensure that these centralized personnel actions will not have a negative impact on their hiring?

Will you work with this committee to ensure these authorities are exercised to the greatest possible extent?

will DOD revise the definition of 'produced' to require that armor steel plate be melted in the United States, in light of well-documented congressional intent?

In response to DOD's request for comment in the course of its review, seven Senate colleagues and I wrote a bipartisan letter to Secretary Panetta reaffirming our support for a return to the longstanding requirement that specialty metals…

Because the new definition disregards the most capital- and labor-intensive portion of production, the melt stage, it puts at risk valuable jobs and technology.

I know the President recently released his plan to help responsible homeowners and heal the housing market.

I mandated that financial literacy be taught, at least a portion, in civics and education class in high school.

What needs to be clearly conveyed is the commitment that has been made by the greater International Community (IC) to stand with the people of Afghanistan in security, economic development, social services, justice, and self-determination…

If confirmed, I will seek continued coalition support to implement a transition strategy with the objective of mitigating the economic impacts of the military drawdown and the gradual reduction of international development assistance.

This is an issue that must be addressed. It has been debated. It has lingered, and no action has been taken.

I certainly appreciate their willingness to advocate for closed shops for unions.

That is a horrible choice. And I am sorry.

But we also have international competitiveness issues.

I want to thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for their advocacy against right to work laws in their respective States.

We want to make sure that there is cooperation from the CFPB with those State regulators.

It is basically regulation through lawsuit, and the Federal Government already has that authority.