I remain steadfast that the leadership of both parties must put everything on the table to find ways to avoid sequestration.

We all agree and understand that sequestration is catastrophic for the prospects of a full economic recovery in our country.

I am, however, disappointed that we are not having a more robust discussion in Congress about how to solve sequestration.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My first question is for Secretary Johns. Can you comment on how the reductions in the operations and maintenance accounts will impact our rebalance of forces to the Pacific.

This bill would codify the National Guard State Partnership Program.

My colleague, Congressman Joe Wilson mentioned that he and I have co-authored a bill.

And I certainly hope that now our focus will be to the Asia-Pacific area, which we are looking at currently.

So your answer then would be affirmative to better oversight with the program by Congress?

I believe that these challenging times present us with an opportunity to review how we do businesses and find ways to improve our processes.

His reckless actions highlight the need for the United States to maintain a robust presence in this region of the world.

Kim Jung-un once again this week showcased partially why we are rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific region.