Cedric Richmond

Trying to protect our citizens and our Nation with programs that are backed by underfunded and depleted science and technology research assets is another matter.

Striving to do more with less is always the hallmark of an efficiently-run business or Government program.

We all know these are challenging budget times, especially as the appropriations process is upon us.

I want to support the scientific R&D efforts of the directorate in every way that I can.

As a result, we produced a comprehensive, bipartisan bill, which passed the House unanimously in 2010.

The Science and Technology Directorate is an essential component of the Department of Homeland Security's efforts.

Thank you, Chairman Ratcliffe for yielding, and thank you for convening this hearing on the Science and Technology Directorate.

The ultimate goal of S&T, as I see it, is to strengthen the homeland security first responders' capabilities to protect and respond to disaster.

I think it is great advice to tell him to be a father, but at the same time, he still has to get a job and put food on those kids' plates.

I think we should remove the barriers that keep people from moving on and learning and getting past that mistake.

I don't think it is every time, but it is going to be the majority of the time.

People deserve honest service.

I think that as a young African-American male who grew up in the inner city, I can have a lot to offer.

The first thing we do not do is cut Pell Grants and cut Head Start, which gives you a 9-to-1 return on your investment

There are many other examples in this country of excellent community-policing models were homicides have gone down.

But we had a past police chief who said, when there was a spate of people who were dying because of chokeholds, he said at a press conference the reason that African-Americans were dying of chokeholds was because our veins were different…

If there were more resources, then people would be much more cooperative.

I think it is well known throughout the country that African-Americans, folks of color, can be outside of their 'ghettos' and still have to deal with issues related to the police.

People in tough neighborhoods want the same thing that anybody wants. They want to be safe in their homes and they want to be safe in their neighborhoods.

I frankly do not believe that it is the policeman's job, and I agree with you Sheriff Clarke, it is not up to the police completely to address these problems.

My frustration is the fact that I think we are so blind in partisanship that we just won't sit down and listen.

To the extent that we are continuously--and even here today, the question was: Can you rate the administration's effort against the enemies?

My sense--and why I ran for Congress and why I am here--is to try to get to the solutions.

I think back to the very simple analogy of, if you go to the fancy golf courses and you are in the golf cart, there are some places the cart will not let you drive.

It is widely recognized that more is needed, and the President's initiatives do indeed go further.