I appreciate the good work conducted by these agencies, and I look forward to learning more about their fiscal year 2016 funding needs.

The administration has requested $225 million for MR&T, which is far below the amount Congress had annually provided over the last 30 years.

Without adequate funding, the Corps cannot perform these functions effectively, which would result in greater risk of catastrophic flooding and adverse impacts on our Nation's economy.

I am concerned with the implementation of this Executive Order because its development was conducted with little transparency or input from the public or lawmakers.

This executive order would arbitrarily expand the definition of 'floodplain' well beyond the long-accepted 100-year floodplain historical definition.

I find that troublesome and disconcerting and feel that it is an expansive Federal overreach that will create confusion and conflict in the private market.

I was very disappointed yesterday that the Senate did not vote to proceed to the consideration of the Homeland Security appropriations bill. I hope we will have an opportunity to reconsider that vote and we will agree to take up the bill…

I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the list of subcommittee assignments for the Committee on Appropriations for the 114th Congress. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as…

Madam Chair, only to ask unanimous consent that my full statement welcoming our distinguished witness and challenging our Committee to do its job of oversight, as you are leading us, and I thank you for that.

I wish to make some comments about the remarks of our distinguished leader and to join him in calling on Senators to remember this day and historical experience of 9/11 and to commit this body to our best efforts to help ensure our…

Thank you for your convening of this timely hearing for the nominee for Under Secretary of Rural Development at the Department of Agriculture.

Let me, again, congratulate you on your nomination and wonder whether or not you can identify now, after reviewing the jurisdictional responsibilities of the office you have been nominated to fill, what are the highest priorities of this…

2014 is the 12th year in which summer interns working in congressional offices have benefited from a program run by the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Leadership. This 6-week program is designed to enhance their internship…

I am curious to know when you expect to have all the methodologies available for publication and dissemination?

I am pleased to join you at this hearing and to review the situation that we have with the Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act, in particular.

I believe that there should be local flexibility to accommodate common sense concerns from the administrators at the local level.

I think what I am left with is a lot more questions than I had before I came in.

Madam Chair, thank you.

the production of farm-raised catfish is very important to my state and the antidumping action against imported catfish from Vietnam is critical to rural jobs in the domestic industry.

I wish to God we were beyond the reach of racism, but we still deal with discrimination and racism on a regular basis.

There are still some questions that need to be asked and raised about whether people are being treated fairly in the polling place.

They are clearly being written for another purpose. They are being written for voter suppression.

We think it is that important.

What we have tonight is reflective of a consensus for more and better jobs for Mississippi workers. A military force and the capacity to defend the security interests of the United States of America.

Thank you very much. Thank you for this wonderful honor and wonderful challenge that lies ahead. Thank you very, very much.