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.

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

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

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

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

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in strong support of H.R. 1204, the Aviation Security Stakeholder Participation Act of 2013. Last Congress, I introduced a version of the legislation before us today when the charter for the…

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

I am pleased to see the subcommittee examining the security of our maritime borders as well.

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

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.

Unfortunately, this has not been the case at the Department of Homeland Security.

We owe it to taxpayers to ensure that these funds are appropriately used, fully accounted for, and auditable.

This wastes time, puts strain on an already challenged workforce and reduces the reliability of the information provided.

I want to make sure that we are on the same wavelength with that.

We cannot continue to fund programs with the hope that they will work.

I hope this incident will result in less rhetoric about, and demonizing of, Transportation Security Officers.

Today, I will be joining Chairman McCaul, Chairman Hudson, Ranking Member Richmond, and Congresswoman Waters in introducing a resolution condemning the shooting at LAX and expressing condolences to Officer Hernandez's family.

I have been a critic of the SPOT program since its inception and expansion prior to being validated.

If an incident occurs, do our TSOs have radios at checkpoints?

The shooting that took place at LAX was a tragic and senseless act of violence.

I have real concerns about it. There are people who talk about other models, but you talk about countries where civil rights and civil liberties are not a part of the protocol.

Mr. Chairman, the people deserve a Government that stays open, works together, solves problems, and spends money wisely.