On the recordJune 2, 2011
As we had talked earlier about this legislation, this bill is about putting priority on limited dollars and robustly supporting the most essential functions of the Department of Homeland Security and to make sure that our homeland is safe. The Department of Homeland Security, with all of its critical missions, is not immune from fiscal discipline. That has been the theme that we have been talking about since we started the bill yesterday afternoon. That means that the Department has to find the most cost- effective way to meet its mission requirements. The American people, quite honestly, are demanding no less in this regard. Again, we started yesterday afternoon at around 3:30, we went until about 12:30 this morning, we started again about 12:30 today, this afternoon, and we are continuing with this legislation. It will probably take us a couple of more hours this evening before we finish. A lot of people have done a lot of work to make this bill happen and for it to take place. I just again would want to thank each of them for their hard work. Again, the ranking member, Mr. Price, has been a true partner in this as we have worked together, and I want to thank him for his contribution that he has made. Also, I would like to thank the full committee chairman and the ranking member, Mr. Hal Rogers and Mr. Dicks, for their support.…
