The patchwork of 30 duty statuses and accompanying benefits have needed modernization and streamlining for a long time.

I could conceive of a set of circumstances where you would have someone in category one that is equal to someone in category two because they may not be in a military action.

I just want to echo the words you started out with. There is a piecemeal patchwork of authorities today and duty status reform is long overdue.

You can't lie to Congress. Michael Cohen lied to Congress, and he's going to prison.

I am outraged, but not surprised, that the political appointees in the EPA's Washington, D.C., office have decided that the Redwood City salt ponds in my district do not include waters of the United States under the Clean Water Act. This…

So you work for the American people; correct?

I hope you can appreciate, from some of the questions that you have heard today, that that is a really bad idea.

So how do you account for that?

How can agencies be held accountable under the APA if we cannot see how decisions are being made?

If you are not familiar, would you become familiar and then report back to the committee on why you felt compelled to shield the analysis from the public?

The status quo is not sustainable.

Academia does a pretty good job of recruiting a particular professor and typically the spouse is also highly educated but may not be recruited.