Bennie Thompson

The budget request that the President submitted on your behalf is not simply a collection of numbers and tables, it is an expression of your values and aspirations.

Mr. Chairman, I hope you can understand the need to put some of this under one roof, because there is just too much--too many moving parts, and there doesn't appear to be one person really in charge.

So if they don't submit it, what happens?

I am trying to get us to some point of how we are going to bring everybody into a system, regardless of where they are.

As an original author of chemical security legislation, I am supportive of DHS' efforts to raise the level of security at our Nation's chemical facilities.

I am supportive of DHS's efforts to raise the level of security at our Nation's chemical facilities.

The legislation authored by Mr. Pascrell and Mr. King would begin the effort of building a robust biodefense enterprise.

With any luck, maybe the third time will be the charm, and this critical legislation will finally get due consideration by the full House.

I commend both of them on their efforts to improve WMD preparedness, response, and recovery in a bipartisan manner.

In the months following the ousting of former President Morsi, the Obama administration suspended aid to Egypt while the State Department reviewed the military takeover and the new government's commitment to democracy during the transition.

What is also of concern is the recent crackdown by the Egyptian government on journalists and academics who have not been able to freely do their jobs in Egypt.

It is imperative that we examine these threats and their relevance, if any, to the United States interests in Egypt.

Egypt is a country in turmoil and our relationship with the country demands that there be some significant oversight given to the aid that we are providing.

Thank you, Chairman Duncan, for convening this hearing.

I look forward to continuing to work with the Chairman to see that the bills we sent to the Senate in December... become law this year.

It is my hope that through the testimony we gather today, we can get further insight about where these inefficiencies are occurring.

To accomplish this mission, we must ensure that every office within the Transportation Security Administration is operating both effectively and efficiently.

We must plan based on the facts as they are, not the facts as they were.

There are many in this country who want us to consider a viable exit strategy.

This House should use its power to give the Department the necessary resources and legislative authority to achieve the goal of improving employee morale at DHS.

I hope you join me in looking forward to the approval of Mr. Johnson to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

I agree that the source of the vacancy problem at DHS is not within the Department.

As we have seen in incidents such as the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole, small vessels can pose a serious threat to U.S. interests both at home and abroad.

I hope we can have a frank discussion about these cuts and what they mean operationally for the Coast Guard and CBP.

The variety of threats we face, the vast areas involved, and our relatively limited resources make securing our maritime borders no easy task.