Political Quotes

“I have the honor of serving on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee--a committee you serve on--which oversees, as you know, the Department of Homeland Security since the committee was first formed. Almost two decades later, I remain convinced that the nominees we confirm to lead that Department must possess sound judgment, integrity, relevant experience, boundless energy, and the leadership skills that will enable them to take on some of the most daunting challenges that we face today as a nation. The Department of Homeland Security is a Department with a budget of over $50 billion and a staff of over 240,000 men and women. Its Agencies protect our country from ever-evolving domestic and foreign threats; they respond to natural disasters; and they help to secure our critical infrastructure. Unfortunately, in recent years, the senior leadership ranks of this Department have come to remind many of us as something akin to executive branch Swiss cheese, with critical positions remaining vacant for far too long or without Senate confirmation at all. In fact, the Department of Homeland Security has been without a Senate-confirmed Secretary for 21 months. Think about that--21 months. Meanwhile, there is no shortage of work to be done from the clear and present threat of domestic terrorism to responding to the SolarWinds cyber breach to helping distribute the COVID vaccine.…”