Thad Cochran

I firmly believe that economic security is part of our National security and that it should be considered when our government reviews foreign investment into the United States.

Presenting Debra M. Brown, Nominee to be District Judge for the Northern District of Mississippi

This hearing should help us understand the threats to our safety and security and the defenses we need to defend against those threats.

I was thinking back on my personal experience of getting ready to decide where to go to college, and how we were going to pay for it.

Isn't this an area that might be threatened and may have an effect on moral and discipline, particularly in the seagoing Navy?

I am pleased to join you in welcoming our witnesses to this hearing on Voluntary Military Education programs in the Department of Defense.

Thank you for inviting me to participate in this hearing.

My interest now is how do we continue to make the beginning educational experience and military experience attractive enough without required military service, mandatory military service?

I think given the effort that students, Active Duty servicemembers make to be students, interrupting those benefits would have had terrible consequences.

Protecting the safety and security of our American citizens is our highest priority.

In the current fiscal environment and the uncertainty of future funding levels, we need to know the consequences of sequestration and its impact on the Department of Defense and ultimately on our national security interests.

I noticed there is an operations and maintenance shortfall for the Army's request in excess of $8 billion in the overseas contingency operations and maintenance account.

I support the amendment offered by the Senator from North Carolina. This amendment would provide additional support for data-mining activities to detect fraud. It would develop proactive underwriting and loss adjustment applications to…

I think from the testimony we've heard today, it appears that supplemental funding is needed to cover shortfalls for ongoing operations in Afghanistan.

Are you including in your budget request to the Congress the funding that you need to bring these facilities to the level you need to have a well-trained military force?

It's an interesting challenge for all of us to do that and stay within the budget guidelines that are laid before us during this next fiscal year.

I am pleased to join the distinguished chairman. I urge Senators who do have amendments to come to the floor and offer those amendments so we can proceed to complete action on this bill in a reasonable amount of time. We don't want to cut…

It's a pleasure to join you and other members of the subcommittee in reviewing the budget request

Nutrition programs are important, and they're contained in the part of the budget that will be discussed this morning.

Mr. Chairman, thank you.

Are there weaknesses in the way the programs are operating or do we need to provide additional funding earmarked

As you are looking to the future, I know that there has been consideration of an acquisition budget that would involve upkeep, modernization, and ongoing national security fabrication, which also employs people.

Thank you very much for your leadership of the Coast Guard and your cooperation with our subcommittee as we review the budget request for the next fiscal year.

It's my hope that we will be able to recommend the level of funding required to support the U.S. Coast Guard's important missions.

I'm pleased to join you and other members of our committee in reviewing the Air Force's budget request for the next fiscal year.