Joe Lieberman: “I have been disturbed and disappointed by the criticisms of the legislation that came out of our Governmental Affairs…”

“I have been disturbed and disappointed by the criticisms of the legislation that came out of our Governmental Affairs Committee, which are based on the claim that it fails to give the President and the new Secretary of Homeland Security the authority they need to manage an effective Department. That is a serious charge and one that I respectfully say is simply not right. Those who have followed the development of this proposal through our committee know my intention since the beginning has, in fact, been the opposite, which is to give the President and the Secretary all the power they need to build a strong, efficient, and effective Department; in fact, more power to do so than this President wanted for some period of months.”