What are we doing to make sure that we have enough Afghan women trained in the national police and the national army to protect the women who are playing such an important role in stabilizing insecure areas?

I would like to talk a little bit about the upcoming elections and what each of you see as some potential dangers.

What are we doing to make sure that the real women leaders of the Afghan women's security forces and police actually have the power behind their positions and, perhaps more importantly, the funding that is dedicated specifically to them…

I share my colleague Ms. Speier's fears, and I am sure the fears of every Member of this committee, that once we leave, with the potential resurgence of the Taliban, that the Afghan women have the most to lose.

What are U.S. forces doing to provide necessary support to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to: increase recruitment of women in the ANSF; ensure female mentors for women in the ANSF; monitor how women are assigned and…

the most fundamental point for me is a real lack of opportunity. It is opportunity wasted.

Do you disagree with Mr. Blair in his assessment that DLA did not provide adequate documentation to show how the rates to be fair and reasonable?

Earlier this year, 87 of my colleagues joined me in sending a letter to the postmaster, expressing our concern that ending Saturday delivery would negatively impact the ability of Americans to receive home delivery of prescription drugs in…

I rated soldiers. In the civilian sector, if you went out and blew almost $1 billion of your company's money, you would be fired.

If that is the case and if that contract has been indicted, why are you using them even partially as a basis for determining whether or not the rates are fair and reasonable under the Supreme contract?

America's daughters deserve better. Today, in the United States, women make only 77 cents for every dollar their male peers earn. In my home State of Illinois, women earn nearly $12,000 a year less than their male counterparts. During my…

The Ryan budget once again places the burden of deficit reduction on working Americans while failing to stop the frivolous spending of subsidies for oil and gas companies that cost the American people billions of dollars every year. I'm…

In fact, we are talking in the trillions of dollars eventually.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My question was will you be pursuing the exact same process for the F-35 for future combat systems, especially the Next Generation 6 fighters that you are proposing now.

If we could just cut spending on oil and gas subsidies, we would save $4 billion.

We need to certainly be modernizing the CH-47s, but we can't do that in a time of budget restrictions if we are continuing to waste those dollars.

Last week I traveled across my district listening to my neighbors, who cannot afford the cuts that will go into place under sequestration. At Harper College, school superintendents told me that sequestration will cut vital programs and…

What are we doing to take care and ensure that we do a better job of safeguarding the taxpayers' dollars?

I am concerned especially with sequestration.

We have a force that has a National Guard where 50 percent of its Black Hawk helicopters are still alpha models and have been in service for a good 30 years.

It bothers me that we are wasting this kind of money.

I think there are many people who receive benefits who are not drug addicts and are suffering--are abusing drugs.

I hope you don't think that I look like someone who is lazy and on government handouts.

I have worked with veterans for a very long time, and veterans are a community with a very high unemployment rate.

And as a Democrat, I am going to talk a little bit about the States' rights and my concern that Governors do maintain the ability to access the troops under State Active Duty in Title 32.