I hope we can avoid this, Madam Secretary, but the potential shutdown of the Government and what that might mean...
we want to have an honest and open and transparent Government, which is always so important.
I am sympathetic to what Senator Lautenberg was saying relative to representing an area that is a significantly high-threat area.
Securing this Nation is not just about the Federal Government.
I do not believe the notion of reducing spending arbitrarily to a 2008 level for this Department makes any sense.
I believe the President has submitted a fiscally responsible budget for this Department.
I will not support a budget that reduces that number by 3,500.
The Coast Guard is one of the five armed forces of the United States.
In the spirit of bipartisanship, I am actually going to pass the gavel to Senator Coats so he can continue.
It is $1.56 billion in fiscal year 2011 that is missing from this year's budget.
We have to be very careful about how we go about that exercise so that we can continue to provide the security that our Nation needs.