Laura Richardson

The biggest eye opener for me has been the extent to which China and Russia are aggressively expanding their influence in our neighborhood.

Today more than ever, America's fate is inextricably linked to events beyond our shores.

We must ask whether, however, it is appropriate to invest in the potential of technologies when simple cost-effective solutions might suffice as well.

In times like these, there is no aisle. We are all serving the public.

What do you view as the continuing vulnerabilities within our Nation's ports?

It is an expression of our commitment to the American public, and a contract that we cannot deny.

I am deeply troubled, living in a port community where we bring 40 to 45 percent of the entire nation's cargo goes through my district.

I think the threat to our National economy, the global economy, to lives is severe.

We have an opportunity to leave this generation with a world-class high-speed rail system.

I believe in being frugal, but the question is really: Are these adequate resources to protect our homeland?

1 percent is not exactly equity.

September 11, 2001 will forever be burned into our memories.

While our country is now more secure, we must continue to remain vigilant against those who seek to do us harm and teach hate.

A key component of emergency preparedness is the ability to alert and warn the public of an impending disaster.

We must act now, prior to an attack to ensure that the personnel, plans, equipment, and other resources are in place to effectively respond.

As an original co-sponsor of the WMD Prevention and Preparedness Act, I am proud to take up this bipartisan legislation that addresses vital WMD issues from prevention to recovery.

The death of bin Laden has been a significant victory in the war on terror for America as well as the rest of the world.

As we consider our budget priorities for FY 2012, we must enact a budget that will reflect the need to create jobs and invest in our future prosperity.

The budget priorities that I will outline today are what I believe is needed to restore the American dream for the millions of Americans who have been most affected by the difficult economic environment.

Coming as we do from all regions of the country and both sides of the aisle, the testimony you hear today is a fair reflection of the collective hopes and dreams of the American people.

I am here to speak for the people I represent, the hardworking and really hard-pressed men, women, and children and businesses of the 37th Congressional District.

If we invest in our infrastructure it has proven to be a very prudent financial decision.

The threats and activity of al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab are real and should be investigated by this committee.

I concur with the objective of the Homeland Security committee that we should discuss the potential threat to the homeland posed by the Somali terrorist organization al-Shabaad.