Madeleine Bordallo

I believe the long-range strike capability is of critical importance, not only in the Pacific region but for any future conflict we may be involved in.

We in Congress must do our part to ensure you have the resources to meet current and emerging challenges.

I support ending sequestration immediately and in its entirety.

I see. So you don't have too much faith in this. Is that what I am hearing?

Thank you for calling this hearing on such an important topic. The recovery of remains of our POWs or MIAs is important to our military community, as well as to their families.

Do you feel there are any operational risks that may be introduced if women were allowed to serve in special op roles?

I would also like it for the Marines, Army, Navy, and the Air Force.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And I want to thank the witnesses today for your testimonies and your interest in women in the military.

The failure to move forward with this has done a lot of damage to our credibility in the past, much less sort of a big test point for whether the so-called 'Asia rebalancing' is a real strategy or whether it is just a speech.

I am concerned that we are losing credibility by the obstruction that we continue to face from the U.S. Senate.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to add an article to the record in which Fish and Wildlife Director Dan Ashe states on the scale of the challenges that we face implementing the Endangered Species Act. Litigation doesn't even show up…

The Endangered Species Act itself does not mandate recovery. That is a fundamental flaw in the statute.

The suggestion that our courts are there to rubber-stamp collusive agreements is insulting to our judiciary.

The allegation that these are secret deals that bind the agency and substantive decisions is factually and legally wrong.

I would like to thank Chairman Hastings and Representative Bardallo for providing me this opportunity to share the following observations on the subject of today's hearing.

The bald eagle had recovered to the point where it was removed from the endangered species list.

They know that the E-S-A contains significant flexibility to allow projects to proceed after taking into account the national interest in the preservation of species and their habitats.

The fact that neither of the agencies tasked with implementing the E-S-A were invited to appear at the June 2012 hearing or in today's rerun reflects the continuation of a troubling Republican strategy of fear mongering rather than a fair…

The E-S-A's near perfect record of achieving species survival, and its numerous species recovery successes like the bald eagle, American alligator, and gray whale--even in the face of continued population growth, land conversion, and…

The ESA's near-perfect record of achieving species survival and its numerous species recovery successes... show that the law has been a true success.

Clearly, this law has not brought about the economic disaster that its detractors like to claim.

The Endangered Species Act is one of the most important, popular, and effective conservation laws, not just in the history of the United States, but in the history of the world.

What specific flexibilities or exceptions did you request in terms of furloughing the civilian personnel who provide the backbone of support for our operational Navy and Marine Corps?

The Navy and Marine Corps are critical to meeting the DOD's strategic guidance released in 2011.

I am concerned with our specialized workforce, such as those at military depots who may leave Government service due to the threats of furloughs and sequestration.