I applaud your statements supporting the United States becoming a 'net exporter' of seafood and your desire to 'close the seafood trade deficit.'

The cost of renewable energy has also decreased drastically.

The big story in recent years has been sustained and historically low prices for electricity rates and consumers at the pump.

This hearing is meant to provide us with a better understanding of what is happening in the energy marketplace.

yesterday the Senate adopted the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act. This legislation facilitates the process of terminating nonperforming VA employees by eliminating certain due process…

This idea was recently introduced as bipartisan legislation, S. 836, the Credit Union Residential Loan Parity Act, by Senators Ron Wyden and Lisa Murkowski.

I appreciate your time here today.

We want to help you. We want to know that you have the resources that you need...

This proposal would not provide the resources needed for the health and wellbeing of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

I support where we are with contract support, and appreciating the fact that the cuts that we are seeing within the IHS budget are not as severe as they are in other areas.

I am not in favor of the wholesale elimination of, or drastic reductions to programs simply to 'hit a budget number.'

It is disheartening to see this administration put forward a budget that would force entire Tribal communities to fully return to a cruel system of healthcare rationing.

I think we all recognize that this has got to be a priority.

I still believe this work should have been done before the Tongass Land Plan was amended.

Another area is the Volcano Hazard Program.

I have outlined some of the perhaps more unique issues in the State, and that really kind of begs the question of where we are with getting regional administrator positions filled.

I think that that would be helpful. So if you would be willing to work with us on that.

I hope you will continue to work with me and others from Tennessee and North Carolina to see that the Smokies receives at least the same appropriation as the western parks.

I would ask if you can commit to having a reasonable comment period of 90 days so that everyone in the region really has an opportunity to weigh in and participate if they choose to do so.

I hope to discuss this issue more in depth during our conversation this morning.

We thank her for her steadfast determination in advocating for these small chronically underfunded remote clinics.

I would like to think that we are not going to be going down another path with the same situation where we acknowledge that there is a Federal responsibility.

I am pleased that the administration is reexamining the regulation and hopefully going to be coming up with a more sensible proposal.

Working to get this right is something that I appreciate.

I need some understanding this morning as where we stand with the co-management regime, what the timeframe is for this proposed rulemaking.