I would like to caution us in referring to when President Jefferson sent our Navy over to battle the Barbary pirates, because in order to get out of that situation, we, first off, had someone to negotiate with...

Should it be updated in light of changed circumstances?

I wonder what that means. And I must tell you it pains me tremendously.

Does the DOD believe that U.S.-flagged merchant ships are more secure if they are left to manage their security in pirate-infested waters on their own, rather than having embarked military personnel?

I just think that we need to, coming out of this Committee, at least make our recommendations to them.

Is it the case that protecting U.S. commercial shipping is no longer among the primary missions of the United States Navy?

This is our watch. This is our watch. And if we fail to act, then I am convinced that lives will be lost.

If a foreign threat was attacking Americans, say, in Washington, DC, would you recommend that the best response would be for those under attack to hire private security guards?

There was phenomenal reluctance. Phenomenal. And that is why I am saying this. I would not say this if it did not pain me.

And the fact is that in Baltimore, a person could be standing at a bus stop. There could be 20 people, somebody could come up, kill that -- kill one of the people. Everybody knows who did it. And nobody will tell. Nobody.

It's extremely pervasive in Maryland and in Baltimore. It's estimated that, in violent offenses, sometimes as much as 90 to 100 percent of the cases involve some type of witness intimidation.

We have pretty much been guaranteed that it will pass out of the judiciary committee.

Keep in mind, in Baltimore, is a city where we had the Dawson murders where seven people, a family of seven, were incinerated in their home because they simply wanted to cooperate with the police.

What my message is, is that we're going to do everything in our power to help them and protect them.

I think it's extremely important that we do everything in our power to protect whistleblowers.

I believe that she saved a lot of lives.

It is so very important that we have transparency.

For that reason, I was extremely pleased to join so many of my colleagues in cosponsoring the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.

The persistence of any element of unequal treatment that prevents any American from achieving the full measure of her potential, while enjoying the full benefits of the rights guaranteed by our Constitution, is simply unacceptable.

I hope today's hearing helps shed light on the continuing practices that prevent full equality in the workplace.

I am deeply disappointed that our mothers and sisters have to face not only the rising tide of unemployment, but also what amounts to a gender tax.

the thing that I guess I am concerned about is we are putting all this money in these banks and where the rubber meets the road is on my street.

I wanted to thank you for calling today's hearing to enable us to assess the nature of the systemic risk posed by large financial institutions.

I'm saddened, though not surprised, by the latest job loss numbers.

The most painful thing about it... is that they go through all of that, denied opportunity over and over again, and then they die.