So do you have authority over DOD, also, or just VA?

I think the point that you made, Madam Chair, about if we could really give these folks a realistic idea of what is going on...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and we appreciate all of you being here, and a special welcome to our two new members.

it is a pleasure to be with the senior Senator from Arkansas discussing somebody for whom we both have a great deal of affection; that is, the former Congressman of the Third District of Arkansas, the district I used to represent…

First, I wish to thank the Senator from South Dakota for his leadership in this area and very much agree with the comments he just made. Last week, while home in Arkansas, I had the opportunity to visit some of our State's excellent…

the safety of the children is the paramount issue.

I rise today in support of Kristine Baker's nomination as United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Kris Baker is a great lawyer recognized by her peers as well as legal organizations for her dedication to…

But is it more a cultural thing, or this has been going on so long that it is business as usual?

there is something amiss here?

I think this is something that we are all united on, going forward and finding out exactly what has happened and punishing those who are at fault.

The GSA evidently is a very troubled agency.

in a moment I am going to speak about energy. But, first of all--as I was waiting to have the opportunity to do this--I want to thank Senator McConnell for giving us an update on what is going on in Kentucky. We do a lot of very important…

I thank the Senator. We appreciate his leadership. Perhaps the three of us, and maybe others, can write a note to the Secretary of Commerce and ask him to make a much-needed trip to Africa, to look at this bill and not only do this, but…

I agree totally. The other thing is that I hope that you would work, you know, closely with the Transition Assistance Program.

Do we need a group like that combined with maybe a group of the guys out in the field some sort of panel there to make sure that the collaboration continues and somebody's responsible?

And so I agree, you have to have the collaboration to get that done, and then, you have the good science to back it up.

Well, I agree with the Senator from Illinois and the Senator from Delaware. The bottom line is there is a tremendous opportunity for our country. I think that our country, as we do start the trade process, trading ideas along with goods…

I thank the Senator from Illinois for doing that. It is a pleasure being with him and the Senator from Delaware. I think this is a good example of working together. The name of the game now is jobs, jobs, jobs, and exports mean jobs. The…

we all have some frustration that we haven't perhaps outwardly moved as far forward as we'd like to on the 2009 report.

We really do appreciate your service to your country which has been outstanding, and I enjoyed visiting yesterday and just getting to know you a little bit personally.

I thank the Senator from Illinois. Again, I was making the point that as we go to these African countries that want American products, whether it is the newest country in Africa, South Sudan, or the older countries, and we need to have the…

it does seem like that's an integral part of the whole thing, that it's something else.

this is such a high stakes thing, and this is so important that we get this right.

I agree with the Senator from Illinois. We trade not only goods and services, but we trade ideas. That is so important as we go on. Certainly, Africa is developing a very healthy middle class. This is certainly something new that they have…

I feel very strongly about this, not only because the field of forensic science is critically important to upholding our nation's criminal justice system, but also because the forensic sciences are a vital element in supporting homeland…