Jackie Speier

The Navy has wasted billions in taxpayer dollars and failed to produce a ship that meets its objectives.

We are here today to examine a case study in gross mismanagement on the part of the Navy.

I think in the end, for all of us, what is most important is, one, that our seamen are safe and secure at sea and that they can survive and that the ship can survive.

You would think all this uncertainty would prompt calls for a pause to get the LCS conceptual house in order before the Navy does a binge buy for more.

That we are not paying for pigs in the poke. And that we are not providing sweetheart deals to the shipbuilders for not providing us ships at the outset that are capable of doing the job that we contracted for.

It seems to me that maybe we should go back to the drawing board and build a frigate that we want.

So, Mr. Stackley, why is it the Coast Guard can get it right and the Navy can't?

That is why Congress needs to find out if the most recent changes will really make the LCS better or if we are just trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

I fear the answer is a resounding no.

I am so disappointed in your testimony I can't begin to tell you.

I am really very disappointed that you are leaving because you really are the kind of member we need.

The taxpayers deserve to know if what they are paying for is actually effective.

If that is not enough, there is more bad news.

What is even worse is that because of the way the Navy structured the contracts, taxpayers are still responsible for most of the repair costs, even when the shipbuilders are at fault.

The LCS isn't just outrageously expensive, it is also outrageously bad at doing its job.

Let me first say what a joy it has been to work with my colleague Mike McCaul on this issue, and with Chris Van Hollen as well. Their passion, compassion, and commitment to this issue is one that I have not seen replicated many times. Let…

I have always had a problem with this 'should have known,' because if you received it, you didn't know that you weren't supposed to receive it, but you should have known, and it is 10 years past.

I want to go on record that those medical professionals that got those bonuses with a commitment to serve 6 years and only served 2, that we should claw back every single dime.

You know, I'd like to paraphrase Shakespeare and say there is something rotten in the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Forest Service.

Due to a conflict, I unavoidably missed the following votes on September 26 and 27. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows: On rollcall No. 557, I would have voted ``nay'' (September 26) (On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass…

This is a sage-grouse. I found out that the sage-grouse have poor eyesight, so they often collide with barbed wire fences and other obstructions that are difficult to see. And these collisions are often fatal. But the sage-grouse looks…

I thank my colleague from our beautiful State of Hawaii (Ms. Gabbard) for giving us the opportunity to reflect on an extraordinary man. To the family, let me say, as I was sitting here and contemplating the pain and anguish and loss that…

You probably haven't heard of Tamia Sanders. This young woman here was 14 years old. She was killed while sitting on her porch next to her mother on August 12 in Jacksonville. You probably didn't hear that Tamia was an honor student or…

I thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ellison) for his comments. He hit the nail on the head. There are so many important resources, there are so many important services that we need to fund, and yet we don't find the money for that…

Tonight we are going to talk about pork ships. Now, you may be scratching your head. What is a pork ship? Well, a pork ship was a name coined by POLITICO. Some may think, well, maybe that is a creative barbecue dish. Or military historians…