Susan Collins

Mr. Secretary, I very much appreciate those examples.

What I am seeking from you today is a commitment to work with us on a potential legislative solution that avoids the unintended negative consequences for secondary industries, as we are seeing in this case.

I want to begin by associating myself with the comments made by the Chairman and Ranking Member expressing opposition to the elimination of funding for the Economic Development Administration.

We viewed them as contrary to American values and tantamount to torture.

When a team of three scientists at the University of Toronto discovered insulin in 1921, they revolutionized the treatment for diabetes.

The hearing will come to order.

I would ask that you keep us informed as that engineering study progresses.

So rather than splitting the project, which significantly increases the risks to the scheduled completion date, would the Navy consider two options?

These modernization and infrastructure investments are desperately needed.

I can assure you that at this particular hearing that you and the Ranking Member are the favorites of all of us here on the panel.

It is, therefore, critical that the Navy carefully manage this multiyear procurement so that both large surface-combatant shipyards have stable and a balanced program workload to sustain the industrial base.

In the fiscal year omnibus bill, Congress decided to authorize the DDG-51 multiyear despite some reservations that GAO and others had brought up.

I commend you for your leadership in eliminating barriers to competition in the prescription drug market.

It's always been a pleasure to work with you and develop these joint funding bills, which really is the way that it should be.

We know that the Housing First model has been successfully used to reduce homelessness in many communities.

For the first time in 7 years, the nationwide rate of homelessness actually rose last year, and it rose by double the national amount in my State of Maine.

It's such unacceptable behavior.

I'm very concerned about a business practice among a segment of mortgage lenders known as home loan churning.

Maine comes before Montana, not only in the alphabet, but in every good HUD program that is out there.

The Federal Government is not working well within the two agencies to coordinate these programs.

Every dollar that's invested in the CDBG program leverages almost 4 additional dollars through other sources.

I will tell you that it is the most popular program that this committee deals with in HUD.

I take these issues very seriously, which is why I've joined my colleagues in asking the HUD Inspector General and GAO to investigate these matters.

A budget, which fails to adequately protect housing for the 5 million families currently served through HUD's rental assistance programs, cannot possibly give these families any real chance at improved economic or health outcomes.

I find it disconcerting that all of these reforms are targeted to shift the cost burden to tenants.