Susan Collins

I think it would be helpful for the record, in light of the department's commitment to maintaining combat capability in anti-access/area denial environments, if you would comment on the combat capabilities that you expect these three…

I apologize for being late. The Armed Services Committee is having a hearing with Secretary Panetta on Syria, even as we are meeting today.

Your strategy to introduce competition into the restart of the DDG-51 program earlier than planned reaps some significant savings for the taxpayer, and I applaud you for that effort.

We need to sustain an absolute minimum procurement rate of two large surface combatants per year.

Last year, your strategy to introduce competition into the DDG-51 program earlier than planned reaped significant savings for the taxpayer, and I applaud you for that effort.

And I want to report to you that it is going extremely well, that shipments are up, the track is being repaired so the service is so much better.

Let me just end my comments today by thanking you and the Department for your commitment, which helped us save freight rail.

You have demonstrated very strong leadership on the growing safety problem that is caused by distracted driving.

I think that is directly due to the fact that you have personally made it a priority, and put a real spotlight on it.

This is a very difficult issue. As you know, it has been operating at an unsustainable deficit since 2008.

Text messaging was the key factor in a crash that killed the driver and seriously injured her passenger.

Short-term extensions drive up the cost because contractors cannot plan.

I think that kind of technical assistance and helping to share best practices that the Department has found is very helpful.

But it is equally important to our economic future that we rein in Federal spending and keep our national debt under control.

Transportation investments create jobs and establish the foundation for future economic growth, but it is equally important to our economic future that we rein in Federal spending and keep our national debt under control.

I am very pleased to see that the President's budget proposes $500 million for this vital program.

The administration has proposed paying for its broad-based refinancing plan by charging a fee on large financial institutions, a so-called bank tax.

I do not think you should be relying on a one-time windfall from the lender's settlement to get you back to the statutorily required level.

But it seems that the administration is going in contrary directions when it comes to fees and mortgage premiums.

Ultimately, FHA should play a more limited role in the mortgage market and help encourage the private sector to reassert its primacy.

I would suggest to the administration that since this proposal did not go anywhere in the past, that it would be really helpful if you came forward with other approaches that might be better received.

I remain concerned that we must reform our present housing finance programs, but in doing so, we must remain ever mindful to limit the taxpayer's exposure to additional financial losses.

The administration has yet to present a comprehensive plan to stabilize the housing market and to reinvigorate private sector participation.

I would encourage you to make more use of those tools in egregious cases.

I would rather see that money spent on traditional mass transit, and roads, and bridges.