Gary Palmer

I don't believe you when you said you didn't know about this.

Your September 2016 audit highlighted widespread issues with the DEA's tracking and oversight of payments, lack of receipts, a lack of information, justifying payments to sources.

It's just hard to understand how an organization can operate and violate its own policies and do things that create so much bad publicity toward the agency and not impose any discipline.

We are trying to get the DEA in a position where they're functioning with proper oversight where there's accountability and transparency in the agency.

I hope you can understand the frustration that some of us and maybe most of us on the committee feel and particularly in dealing with the DEA.

You need to work with us.

Well, I can assure you that when 79 percent don't trust leadership, it's going to be reflected in your ranking.

You're looking for a disaster.

I also would like to point out that this appears to be problematic in the Department of Homeland Security, because among the large agencies Homeland Security ranks last.

That seems to be a pattern ----

Has anyone been fired? Has that question been asked, Mr. Chairman?

It is disconcerting to me, Mr. Chairman, that we have had hearings with other agencies and it just seems that this goes on and on and on and no real punitive action is taken.

Well, given that they've called votes, let me ask that question to Health and Human Services on the TANF benefits.

Well, going back on the report that I read last year--actually, I'm on the Budget Committee and that's when I brought this up--65 percent of the improper payments were attributed to Medicare fee-for-service, Medicaid, and earned income tax…

So over the last 2 or 3 years, and the last report I saw was for 2014, and it was what, $3 billion, something in that range, that went out in death benefits improperly paid? Did that number decrease last year?

That's $1.1, to $1.2 trillion. That's a lot of money.

So do we know how much we paid out in improper payments in TANF benefits?

What are the statutory limitations that keep the States from reporting improper payments on TANF benefits?

But why have you just now started the process when we've been losing billions of dollars?

I'd just like to point out that there's still serious debate over whether or not the climate is warming.

It just concerns me that there is not a balanced approach to this in regard to looking at the economic benefits and the benefits in terms of reduction of greenhouse gases versus the benefits--versus whatever very limited impact that…

Why don't we limit it to Article I and the Tenth Amendment.

Should scientists be able to conduct their research without fear of reprisal from the government?

This investigation ought to be about protecting the rights of scientists to do their jobs.

I just want to point out that we've got a number of billionaires, one of whom, Tom Stiler, who pledged $100 million in contributions to pro-environmentalist Congressional campaigns.