Martha McSally

The nirvana for us is that the interceptions are happening at the border, at the line of scrimmage...

Could we talk a little bit about the use of VADER technology and how that is impacting the ability to increase situational awareness, No. 1?

Well, let me just say that we have so many Border Patrol Agents and Air Interdiction Agents across the Southern Border that are working right now in order to, you know, keep our country and our community safe.

I just think this is something that is worth looking into, even though you don't want to have a huge tax, but it certainly----

I would like you to get back to us on if you have numbers already... how many are, like, within a couple hundred yards of the border...

Intercepting drug cartels on the south side of John Ladd's ranch in Arizona, for me, is far more effective...

I mean, the unmanned and the manned bring strengths and weaknesses, right, and they are best when they complement each other.

Is it a couple of miles, or is it a couple hundred miles?

So all State and local law enforcement apprehensions that are turned over to you are in the effectiveness rate?

Chief Vitiello, if you were in a resource-unconstrained environment, of the 1,300 miles that are remaining, I mean, do you have a sense of how many miles or what percent you would want to put additional barriers and what types of barriers?

I think, Ms. Gambler, in your testimony, you talked about one of the challenges--this is taxpayer money, right, going into these barriers.

I mean, are you guys accounting for the fact that they may turn around and 2 hours later come back over again?

I think we need to at least come to, like, an understanding and an agreement of what the formula should be.

But do you have any sense of what the real denominator is?

There is a reason that many Americans do not trust the Department when it comes to border security.

There is a reason many Americans do not trust the Department when it comes to border security.

The reality and perception of insecurity near the border also has negative impacts for businesses and tourism in border regions.

The instability and chaos that drug cartels foster pose National security problems and public safety threats that endanger border communities.

If the formula does include those who are not evading apprehension, then that skews the formula.

These new effectiveness numbers are hard to believe, and I believe are inaccurate measures of the state of security on the border.

The instability and chaos that the drug cartels foster pose National security problems and public safety threats that endanger border communities.

Securing the border is ultimately one of the most important responsibilities of the Federal Government.

Okay. Great. Thank you.

We need only look at the impacts of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), a natural event, to see how devastating an intentional act against our food or agriculture could be.

Great. One last question, and then I will hand it over to the Ranking Member here, on Bioshield, is that the Blue Ribbon Study Panel related the need to implement better military and civilian collaboration.