Joe Lieberman

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

This controversy is not going to go away until you or Ambassador Freeman find a way to resolve it.

The IC is not a policymaker; you're analysts and providers of intelligence information.

I think from a geopolitical, geostrategic point of view, unfortunately we may have to start thinking about threats to our security and to stability in different critical regions of the world which we may have to take action in as a result…

From an intelligence perspective, based particularly on what I would at least call some of the economic aggressiveness or even bullying of the Russian government, do we have concerns that this economic vulnerability in some of the newly…

Europe and the former Soviet Union have experienced the bulk of the anti-state demonstrations.

Of course, all of us recall the dramatic political consequences wrought by the economic turmoil of the 1920s and 1930s in Europe, the instability and high levels of violent extremism.

The primary near-term security concern of the United States is the global economic crisis and its geopolitical implications.

We hold this hearing on the heels of what I would call mixed news about our economy.

I think the Federal, State, and local governments are trying to work very hard together.

History of fiscal stimulus is not always a happy one because a lot of times the moneys arrived after the economy has begun to recover.

You are going to be able to do a lot of things and slice and dice the data any number of ways you want.

The danger of a jobless recovery remains all too real.

I am pleased to hear about how many States and localities have created Web sites to provide accountability and transparency.

The question that we will always ask is if we are getting this money out as quickly as we can.

Obviously, you will keep monitoring and let us know if you think that it is moving more slowly to State and local governments than it should or could.

The agencies are going to be actively involved in looking at that data along with their State recipient counterparts.

Incidentally, I noticed that Congressman Ed Towns, who chairs our partner committee in the House, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, is proposing legislation to separately fund State and local auditors to oversee stimulus…

It is too early to say. There are obviously some glimmerings of hope about some movement in the right direction in the economy.

It is very important to us, of course, that it be used well and effectively to protect and create jobs.

We appropriated, believe it or not, $250 million over the 2 years for the hiring of additional inspectors and investigators

Not to spend it so quickly that it is wasted or it is subject to fraudulent uses

One would look at that and say, how come so little is going out this year and so much more in the next 2 years, when we need it now, people would say.

Most of the States have been under fiscal stress and they have cut back, some significantly, in the amount of oversight activities.

I am very pleased that this morning, Vice President Joe Biden has released a letter to Senator Collins and me, indicating that his office is working on this.