I know you are looking forward to spending more time with your family, including your 15 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

I applaud the work Senator Akaka has done to ensure that Federal employees are protected from retaliation when they disclose government waste, fraud, and abuse.

Senator Akaka has also worked hard to ensure that the Federal Government process retirement claims in a timely and efficient manner.

Your tireless efforts to streamline Federal processes and making agencies more accountable have found broad bipartisan support.

I regret having missed the September 12, 2012, vote on the motion to proceed to S. 3457, the Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012. Had I been present, I would have voted in favor of the motion to proceed to the Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012…

I am pleased to join my friend and colleague, Senator Lisa Murkowski, to discuss Coast Guard operations in Alaska.

We have all mentioned this in our opening statements, but I would like to give you an opportunity to take 1 minute to describe in even more detail for the subcommittee how the retreating Arctic ice will dramatically change the Coast…

That equates to about 90 billion barrels of oil and about 44 billion barrels of natural gas liquids.

A recent study sanctioned by the Coast Guard, named the 'High Latitude Study', calls for a minimum of three heavy polar icebreakers and a minimum of three medium polar icebreakers.

The United States must prepare now to realize and act on the significant opportunities and address the changing needs in the Arctic.

We are going to have to find a way to get the assets for this Nation that we need to protect our homeland.

I hope we are filing charges not just against the man operating the ship but the buyers of these fish and tracking it down to the networks that are really funding these kinds of illegal operations.

I am forever grateful to him and the Coast Guard men and women who helped aid those in need following the hurricane.

I want to go on record strongly, and I'm a very big supporter of the Navy and the need for them to have the kind of ships that they need.

The Coast Guard will forever be in my heart and in the hearts of my Louisiana constituents in light of its heroic efforts following Hurricane Katrina.

With the help of Senator Murkowski, the fiscal year 2013 Senate appropriations bill includes $10.336 billion for the Coast Guard.

I am so pleased to join my dear friend and colleague and partner, Senator Lisa Murkowski.

It is truly an honor for me to be back here in Alaska.

As we see opportunities to develop resources in the Arctic, the ability of the northern sea route becomes a real possibility.

These boats need to be seaworthy and have a very different mission, of course, than the Navy, but they have to be big and strong and able to maintain.

I do hope that as we leave this field hearing this morning, not only Senator Landrieu gets a little bit deeper appreciation of the role that the Coast Guard is playing.

How much do those new polar icebreakers cost, approximately?

the Arctic is going to be a very big challenge.

Thank you, Chairman Landrieu, Senator Murkowski, for the opportunity to speak.

We just cannot patrol waters--we are not patrolling waters within just 15 miles, as you know, of our coastline.