Obviously you served in the DOD before you were in this position. We have continued to be troubled, hounded, frustrated, and infuriated by the fact that these systems that we need so much are costing so much more than we expect, hoped…

This position is most recently reflected in the fiscal year 2011 President's budget submission which once again does not include funding for the JSF F136 alternate engine.

the broad consensus in support of defense spending is going to begin to break or at least be under real pressure

The total cost will be $50 billion. That's by that April 2016 date that we're talking about?

Forgive this question, but to the best of your ability what the heck is going on?

I introduced this amendment with a bipartisan group of cosponsors, Senators Collins of Maine, Byrd of West Virginia, Feinstein of California, Voinovich of Ohio, and Ensign of Nevada. Its purpose is to reauthorize--in fact, to save--the…

We're in a critical period in the coming year with national elections next month, which are the first in more than 2 decades.

this amendment that I rise to offer has been cosponsored by a bipartisan group, I am pleased to say: Senators Collins of Maine, Byrd of West Virginia, Feinstein of California, Voinovich of Ohio, and Ensign of Nevada. The purpose of this…

It is, as you know, a very bipartisan Committee and I think that is part of why we have been able to accomplish a lot over the years.

Thanks to the bipartisan leadership shown by your Committee, DHS and regulated facilities are deep in the middle of implementing this vital program in a focused and cooperative manner.

The legislation which I have introduced with Senators Pryor, Voinovich, and Landrieu would extend the CFATS program for 5 more years.

I note that the deadline for that report is March 1, 2010--can you reconfirm that you will submit this report by that deadline?

I was about to run for the fire extinguisher there.

I rise to speak about the Help Find the Missing Act, otherwise known as Billy's Law, which I am introducing today along with my colleagues, Senators Schumer, Gillibrand and Merkley. I was introduced to the issues Billy's Law addresses by…

I do not think we do a favor to Muslim Americans or people who are followers of Islam anywhere in the world by not saying that this is an extreme expression, a violent expression of one of the world's great religions.

Has the Administration made a decision to avoid any public reference to violent Islamist extremism or Muslim terrorists--which is really why they are terrorists.

We must build on that investment.

The President's budget could also undermine our State and local partners who usually are the first to respond, whether it is a natural disaster or a terrorist threat.

We will wait just a minute because I have been told Senator McCain is outside in the hallway.

I am, therefore, very concerned that the number of Border Patrol agents would decrease next year for the first time if the Administration's budget is adopted.

I have been strongly opposed to trying suspected terrorists in Article III civilian Federal courts.

I believe I am correct that Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Commissioner of Police Raymond Kelly in New York both said that New York itself would require $200 million in the coming year if the trials went forward there.

I think that is a mistake given the 31-percent reduction the program suffered in fiscal year 2010

the Coast Guard, in my view, actually needs reinforcement, not retrenchment

I will tell you they are astounding and unsettling because they say that the Department of Homeland Security now has just about as many contract employees as it has Federal employees--about 200,000.