Thad Cochran

Increased production, particularly on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the Gulf of Mexico, would likely reduce our reliance on foreign oil and create much needed jobs.

The President proposes and the Congress disposes.

Your advice and your observations about the needs for funding are considered very important.

I'm pleased to join you in welcoming our distinguished witness to the subcommittee today to review the budget requests for NASA for fiscal year 2014.

This seems to me to be an unfunded Federal mandate.

Well, the Congress certainly acted quickly in response to the request from the administration to provide earmarked funds, excuse the expression, oh, my goodness.

America's 'Force in Readiness' must maintain a high state of readiness at all times to respond to contingencies and commitments throughout the globe.

Sequestration would also adversely impact operations and exercises in fiscal year 2014 and beyond.

We cannot continue to sustain these levels of reductions in fiscal year 2014 without immediate impact to our deployed and next to deploy forces.

We appreciate your cooperation with our committee and working together to help ensure that we have the best Navy in the world.

What other projections can you let us know about that we need to work into the budget if the subcommittee approves this for a new class of ships called the offshore patrol cutters?

It's been a pleasure working with the distinguished Senator from Louisiana, particularly on the acquisition of vessels that are needed by the Coast Guard...

We have a crisis, I believe, at our borders not just with illegal immigrants but with legal transportation of goods, et cetera, and our inability to keep up with the funding requirements necessary.

Madam Chairman, it's a pleasure to join you in welcoming the distinguished Secretary of Homeland Security to our hearing today.

Thank you for cooperating with our subcommittee.

What type of establishments do you foresee will be affected or governed by these new requirements?

A level of investment that supports readiness is our number one priority.

I look forward to continuing working with him as we develop and report the appropriations bill to fund the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2014.

The Department of Defense that we have today has his unmistakable imprint.

Well, I noticed that the current funding level is $207 million, and I understand from your statement that you submitted--you are saying the President has requested $308 million for fiscal year 2013.

These reforms benefit end users by greater transparency, which then tends to shift the information advantage from Wall Street to Main Street.

As Senator Cochran noted, our agency has completed about 80 percent of the rules that Congress tasked us with.

Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. We appreciate your convening this hearing today.

It would be interesting to know what the administration's plans are so producers can plan and not be surprised totally at the last minute.

We are all trying to figure out exactly what the practical consequences are going to be for sequestration and targeting of certain programs for cuts.