today I recognize Jo Anne Goodnight, an extraordinary member of my staff who will shortly be leaving the Hill to return to her position as division of special programs director and SBIR/STTR program manager at the National Institutes of…

the information that was available to analysts, as is usually the case, was fragmented and embedded in a large volume of other data.

I think that it's a fair presumption--then once that information has been disseminated--that it has to be evaluated before anybody gets on the plane.

If somebody's a threat, they're a threat. I don't know how you make a distinction between a threat and an aviation threat.

I mean, you don't create it, but you can nominate individuals, based on your acquisition information.

the current intelligence-sorting processes today could be improved by utilizing technology that can be programmed to differentiate among specific types of threats.

It is simply unacceptable that the same gaping holes that have persisted since the tragedy of September 11, 2001, continue to plague our efforts to mitigate the threat against commercial aviation.

I certainly hope that somehow the sense of urgency in our institutions is not sublimated into bureaucratic quagmires.

But, what information did you have--that Customs and Border Protection had--to warrant further questioning?

This is nothing less than the security of our homeland, our people, and our Nation and our efforts must rise to a level commensurate with both the challenges and the potentially catastrophic consequences.

On Tuesday, Senator Snowe and Senator Landrieu introduced legislation to extend the Section 179 expensing rules at the $250,000 level permanently.

Senator Snowe has been working on with Senator Lincoln and Senator Roberts over at the Finance Committee.

Senator Rockefeller and Senator Snowe have introduced legislation to make the credit effective for five more years.

Senator Snowe has been very interested in, and that has helped paper companies maintain jobs this year.

I am definitely very appreciative of everything Senator Snowe has done to support the New Markets Tax Credit.

this report indicates that TSA is unable to properly identify and address vulnerabilities which continue to occur year after year

Because it wasn't clear in the Inspector General's report as to whether or not that had reached the 50-percent level.

Do you think it's possible to reach the 100-percent deadline for air cargo screening, by August of 2010?

Even though the Inspector General indicated that there there's a shortage of TSA personnel, in regard to the screening program?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And welcome, Secretary Napolitano. In fact, one of my staff people witnessed your work at TSA firsthand, as a screener. They said you did an excellent job.

I think it's essential. It's obviously languished for more than a half a century, and it has been on the National Transportation Safety Board's Most Wanted List since 1990.

If you combine the issue of fatigue, low salaries, lack of experience... all of these amount to a potentially dangerous situation for passengers and pilots.

What do you think we can do?

Thank you for calling this hearing.

And how--either you or Chair Sutley or Dr. Lubchenco and Deputy Secretary Davis, could you explain how we expect this process to work?