Bennie Thompson

Without it, we cannot be certain that our border control resources are strategic and well-coordinated.

As Members of Congress, each of us has a responsibility to ensure that the Department is able to adequately perform its mission of protecting the Nation from and responding to terrorist attacks, man-made catastrophes, and natural disasters.

One of your priorities is border security. Since 2004, we have doubled the number of Border Patrol agents and more than doubled the number of unauthorized aliens removed from this country.

We cannot play our part in assuring the success of the homeland security mission if we are not willing to use the full weight of the committee structure--both subcommittees and the full committee--to pursue a well-crafted agenda.

Our energies will be wasted and our opportunities will be squandered if we do not work towards the goal of making the people of this Nation safer.

That mission cannot be achieved without appropriate funding, vigorous oversight, and targeted legislation.

Reclaiming my time, I urge my colleagues to support the bill and yield back the balance of my time.

I have no more speakers, and I am prepared to close. In summary, S. 1998 is another step in Congress' effort to put DHS on a sound financial path. Speaking of a path, Madam Speaker, this is probably the chair's last official act on the…

Despite my reservations regarding this measure, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 5997, and I yield back the balance of my time.

As I have no further speakers, I yield back the balance of my time.

I believe that this committee's exploration of the current and emerging threat environment should be a broad-based examination of domestic extremist groups, regardless of their respective ideological underpinnings.

The greatness of this country is that people who differ can still come together for the common good.

We, I think, have set the bar for a lot of other committees on our ability to work.

I strongly disagree. The information-sharing challenges that we faced then and continue to face now are more grounded in protecting turf than being timid.

GAO recommends that before continuing with the acquisition, DHS reevaluate the mission need, investigate alternatives and develop performance, schedule, and cost information.

We should seriously consider whether the technology Congress envisioned is capable of being produced. It seems that the answer is--not yet.

Eleven years and $800 million dollars later, we still do not have an early warning system that can quickly and efficiently detect the release of a harmful biological or chemical compound in our major cities.

I have no more speakers. If the gentleman from Illinois has no more speakers, then I am prepared to close.

The September 11 tragedy and Hurricane Katrina taught us that interoperable communications are essential during a disaster.

I want to welcome our colleague, Mr. Franks, who will testify about his bill, H.R. 668, the SHIELD Act.

H.R. 6159--the Flight School Security Act of 2012, introduced in July 2012--would require, among other things, a determination by TSA that the individual seeking training is a non-threat to aviation prior to beginning flight training.

What I hope we are going to hear today is how DNDO's mission can be better defined.

We must do our best.

Since 2009, DNDO has made important changes under Secretary Napolitano, and made especially good progress in nuclear forensics.

This Nation cannot sacrifice security or freedom in the face of any threat--foreign or domestic.