Daniel Akaka: “I rise to commend my chairman, Senator Lieberman, for his outstanding work and his extraordinary leadership in the…”

“I rise to commend my chairman, Senator Lieberman, for his outstanding work and his extraordinary leadership in the committee, and to mention that it was after Senator Lieberman began his initiative to create such a Department that it began to pick up, not only in the Senate but with the administration, too. He has crafted, I believe, a strong piece of legislation for the Department of Homeland Security. This evening I rise to express my strong support for Senator Lieberman's substitute. I have strong respect for the senior Senator from West Virginia but I will vote against his amendment. Senator Lieberman has done a great service to his country by holding hearings and debating extensively the structure of a Department of Homeland Security. Without his determined effort, the President might never have conceded the need for such a department. As Senator Thompson has noted, the Governmental Affairs Committee debated in great deal the structure of such a department. Numerous changes were made to the President's proposal which have substantially improved it.”