This year we're going to try to do our dead level best to pass the amendment to take pensions away from senators and congressmen who have been convicted of public corruption while they're in office.

I want to thank you for being here today, and also want to echo what you said about the importance of piracy.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I really want to just really thank the Chairman and his staff for just spending hours, and hours, and hours in trying to get this bill right, trying to take in--everybody's views into consideration.

So, you feel like we don't have the balance in the bill right now that you want to see.

I'm really glad that the Chairman added the strategic technology reserve in there. I think it's something that the Congress needs to weigh in on.

I want to thank you and Senator Lieberman for your leadership on this. It is so important for the Congress that we get this right.

This came as a result of perspiration not inspiration.

Secretary Rumsfeld, how many noncompetitive DOD contracts have been awarded to Halliburton in the last 3 years?

Secretary Rumsfeld, what penalty does Halliburton face for overbilling the DOD?

The reason I ask that is because we focus a lot of times just on the troops, but there is this other group of people that are impacted by this and obviously there are U.S. dollars, tax dollars, that follow that.

Secretary Brownlee, the 39th Reserve Brigade from Arkansas is about to depart for Iraq, where it will be part of the 1st Cavalry Division.