I think a good idea is to partner with all of these agencies.

I think that more now than ever we need to have more reliable data to manage the cost of the government and to be able to assess programs and policies.

Congress has an important role to play and needs to play that role. So I would encourage you to have as much oversight on these issues as possible.

I think partnerships would be good to be able to address those problems.

Health Care Senator Barrasso was speaking earlier, talking about the health care legislation. One of the means of paying for part of the health care reform--you may recall the Congressional Budget Office has said health care reform is…

Recognizing that terrorists are still targeting aviation and are constantly adapting and changing their methods, what are we doing to make sure that we are just as nimble as they are?

Uncovering this most recent air cargo plot and the failure of other attempted attacks over the years tells me that it has become increasingly difficult since September 11, 2001, for terrorists to exploit the vulnerabilities to our aviation…

He is not only a faithful attendant and participant in full Committee hearings, but he is a terrific Subcommittee Member.

And you know what one of their slogans is in Missouri, the 'Show Me State.'

I am still cautiously optimistic. I am optimistic that we are going to get there.

I appreciate their efforts. As Eric said, we have learned a lot from the audit of their Statement of Budgetary Resources.

One of the things I would like to encourage through the course of these hearings is when the Congress is doing things that, frankly, do not make common sense, that do not really add up, you need to tell us.

A lot of the money we are spending is money that we go around the world borrowing.

Thank you, Mr. Hale. You are right, we have been promised things before on this front and not often seen those promises fulfilled.

Otherwise, we will end up like Greece, and it is not what I want.

I think the U.S. Marine Corps was the first military service to assert audit readiness of a financial statement since the Department first articulated its financial improvement strategy.

We must use correctly. You do not want to use it incorrectly. Used correctly it is a powerful tool.

When I was a kid growing up, my father used to say to my sister and me... Just use some common sense.

It is really this notion that we are spending all this money we do not have.

It is good to know where your cash is. It is good to know where your equipment is.

We will get there. It is just--it is difficult.

I am going to be around for at least a couple more years, maybe even beyond that.

Let me just interrupt. My question of you was, what more--if you were sitting on this side of the dais, what more would you be doing than what we are now doing?

As a recovering Governor, I understand the unique challenges that come with running a major institution like the Department of Defense.

People really want to feel like they are getting something done that is worthwhile.