Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 1656, the Secret Service Improvements Act, will assist the Secret Service with its critical mission of protecting the President and Vice President and other dignitaries as well as with its investigative role in protecting our Nation's financial infrastructure against criminal threats. This important bill was introduced by the bipartisan leadership of the Judiciary Committee: Chairman Bob Goodlatte, Ranking Member John Conyers, Crime Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner, and Crime Subcommittee Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee. H.R. 1656 was developed to address shortcomings related to the Secret Service that have come to light in recent years. Unfortunately, the image of this once revered agency has been tarnished both because of the misbehavior of agents and of the performance issues that have resulted in security lapses. Last fall, the Judiciary Committee held an important oversight hearing to review the operation of this vitally important agency. Then-Acting Director Joseph Clancy, who has since taken on the job on a more permanent basis, came before the committee to discuss the mission of the agency and issues relating to recent lapses in security that could have jeopardized the individuals the agency is sworn to protect.…”