Bennie Thompson

The NPGP proposal moves away from the current regional governance, assessment, and strategy-based approach to a competitive and individual project based approach.

We do not believe that a decade's worth of work in building the regional governance and collaboration structures of these programs should be discarded.

Everyone agrees that we should spend our homeland security dollars where they are needed most in an efficient and effective manner.

As a Ranking Member of the authorizing committee for the Department of Homeland Security, I urge my colleagues to take a serious look at this effort to authorize a consolidation of needed Homeland Security grants.

Reducing Government spending by eliminating overlapping and duplicative programs is a common-sense approach to saving scarce Federal funds and enhancing revenue.

Much should have happened in 6 years. But unfortunately, there is not much progress to report.

The danger of a sudden release of hazardous chemical fumes caused by a terrorist attack is a nightmare scenario.

Congress expressed concern about the safety and security of chemical facilities long before 9/11.

Since that time, the Department has made efforts to build these disparate operations into one seamless system...

When the Department was created in 2002, it was the largest reorganization and consolidation of Government agencies...

We are here today to discuss the integration of the Department of Homeland Security's (Department) management functions and examine whether there is room for improvement.

I would first like to thank Chairman McCaul for convening this hearing.

Just let me say that, as someone who has gone through some of these similar-type situations, an outreach is absolutely important.

To the Chairman's comment about the consolidation of the grants program, you talk about stakeholder involvement.

In 2011 FEMA responded to 99 major disaster declarations, 29 emergency declarations, and 114 fire management assistance declarations.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank you also for holding today's hearing.

Unfortunately, in 2011 FEMA had to contend with more than the record-breaking number of disasters.

We cannot continue to take this work for granted.

I know that in order to win a discrimination complaint, there must be evidence and there must be witnesses.

Today, 47% of FAMS believe that retaliation is part and parcel of the FAMS workplace.

Will you provide the committee with a copy of the FOIA information that you provided to EPIC?

There is no proof in law or fact for that assertion.

The 9/11 day of horror was partly on the watch of privatized screeners.

The only real difference is cost.

So your testimony to this committee is that there is no container shipment coming to the United States that we don't know what is in it?