DOD needs to contribute to training and exercising these civilian forces with U.S. military forces so that they will be able to operate effectively together.

In order to move the economy forward, do any of you disagree that the combination of your ideas, some short term and long term, is what is necessary, not one or the other?

I want to thank the Ranking Member, Senator Gregg, and Senator Wyden who have proposed a piece of legislation on tax policy.

I rise to honor four members of Alaska's military family who lost their lives in a tragic airplane accident in Anchorage last week. MAJ Michael Freyholtz and MAJ Aaron Malone were pilots assigned to the Alaska Air National Guard's 249th…

I want to talk a little bit and probably in an informal way about a piece of legislation, a bipartisan piece of legislation on tax fairness and simplification. There is one thing I hear a lot about when I go back home and when I was…

One thing I thought, wow, $300 billion tax relief, predominately for middle-class America. I thought my phone would be ringing off the hook with people saying: Wow, what a great relief. If we got 1 e-mail on this out of the 1,000 or so…

It is a moment. We can continue to do business as usual, tinker with it a little bit here, a little bit there, have special interests kind of run the show or we can turn it back to the American people by helping them keep more money in…

I appreciate the Senator coming up for a couple of minutes while I echo the concerns of the Senator from Louisiana. I listened to this debate that was going on for hour after hour and, as a new Member, I have to echo what the Senator said…

I consider some of this like the catalog business on steroids.

What one thing would you recommend, if any, that should be done to increase the level of security and privacy to the users of your facilities?

I have been in the vending business, the real estate business, the developing business. I have been a restaurant owner. My wife owns four retail stores, a small business woman. She started her business selling smoked salmon on a street…

I think tomorrow we're going to do some markup on it here in this committee, in the broader committee.

You do not have enough money--I'm going to tell you that--from the research and the capacity to research and develop oil-spill technology.

I don't like foreign oil--produces about $300 million a year for NOAA and Coast Guard and other activities.

I mean, back then, we didn't have a cell phone. Today, we have incredible technology around just using our phone and iPads and everything else. Where has the improvement occurred, if there has been any improvement? Honestly, I don't see it.

I encourage you, as you work--again, back to the Alaska issues--to continue to reach out to the veteran communities and our office.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank you all for being here today.

I think this might be one of the first times for you.

It is not about someone having to find these services. It is an advocate who reaches out and gets the services to the members who earned them and deserve them.

It would be great if, as you attend... you would take that as an action item kind of a meeting.

If a person walks in there and says, 'I am an advocate,' they are an advocate.

I was at the meeting yesterday with the President, and I sat next to Senator Alexander and heard the question on the oilspill issue. The comment from the Republican leader was that the President just brushed it aside. I am not here to…

I don't think that's about lawyers who represent primarily plaintiffs or lawyers who represent primarily defendants.

Do you think there's the political will to get beyond the debate of liability caps and torts?

I am hopeful, whatever we do here and on the floor of the Senate, that we do not have that same delay.