The law is the law. You have to change it.

Environmental, economic, and recreational management of Long Island Sound has long been a collaborative partnership between Connecticut and New York.

This is why I am so disappointed that zero Connecticut stakeholders were contacted about the EEZ Clarification Act, legislation that will directly affect their livelihoods.

We strongly urge you to include an opposing witness from Connecticut at the legislative hearing to better understand the full scope of this bill.

This is damaging people's livelihood, and I think we need to be a lot more careful in terms of how we, as a Congress, treat Federal jurisdiction and people's rights in terms of reliance on their ability to make a livelihood.

We believe it is imperative to underscore the major economic losses that the Connecticut fishing industry would face as a result of this misguided bill.

Thank you for inquiring of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) about the effects to the state should H.R. 3070, the EEZ Clarification Act, be enacted into law.

While that request was not granted, I appreciate that your subcommittee is offering me a chance to speak on behalf of Connecticut fishermen and state officials alike.

Connecticut's objections to this bill extend well beyond striped bass management which seems to be at the core of this bill.

During rollcall vote No. 44 on January 13, 2016, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' PERSONAL EXPLANATION

It has real-life consequences.

In the last defense authorization bill, we actually moved forward on a series of reforms.

Using the fund with these new authorities would generate up to a 10 percent reduction in program costs.

We expanded the fund to include authorization of incremental funding authority, economic order quantity contract authority, and advance construction authority.

As a co-chairman of the House Coast Guard Caucus and the Representative from southeastern Connecticut with a deep connection to the Coast Guard, I rise in strong support of the Coast Guard authorization bill and the hard work of Chairman…

There is no question that we live in a democracy and it is important to raise any issue here, but frankly there needs to be a balance.

I think, again, we have heard a good discussion about offensive sort of game-changing innovations.

11 workers lost their lives because of just incredibly shoddy oversight and regulation of the deep water drilling.

the failure of Congress to update MSHA's regulations could have prevented that horrendous tragedy.

Again, when we talk about that critical work, protecting lives is also part of it.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Well, thank you both for your testimony. Yield back, Mr. Chairman.

Well, thank you. That is a point we probably want to highlight in the transcript when we are done here today.

The finger-pointing and chest-thumping that goes on up here... is just totally inexcusable and unacceptable.

The power to declare war, including the power of judging the causes of war, is fully and exclusively vested in the legislature, not the executive branch, but the legislature.