Jon Tester

Basically, for the most part, tribes are subsidizing Federal functions.

It puts the onus on us to negotiate in good faith, which, there shouldn't have to be a law to say that when we negotiate we have to do it in good faith, but it will require that.

What kind of flexibility will S. 919 provide tribal leadership as tribes try to assert more home rule?

I just want to echo the ranking member's appreciation for your leadership and your vision for this Committee.

The signing ceremony at the Interior Department was attended by Senator Baucus, Senator Tester and Secretary Kempthorne.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that the people who defined it as being incorrect are the ones at fault here, not the people who are using it.

This looks pretty bad, and here is why.

Last month, Chairman Tester and Senator McCain introduced legislation, S. 1691, to reform AUO, and there is companion legislation is the House introduced by Congressman Chaffetz.

I think we need to work together to get the overtime issue solved at DHS, to ensure the taxpayer dollars are spent appropriately.

This kind of abuse of a program needs to stop, especially--it needs to stop any time.

We would like to get the results of that audit, if you could, to this Committee when appropriate, OK.

This would just be my opinion, and I am a dirt farmer from Montana, OK--this would just be my opinion, but unless that administrative personnel is directly connected to that agent in the field, that he needs information, I cannot see how…

Yes. Thank you, Senator Portman.

Are you reasonably confident today that the verification methods that are in place within your office are adequate and appropriate at this point in time?

OK. So, what is different today? I mean, what is different today that this same thing is not going to happen again after Senator Portman and I start thinking about doing other things?

I think that you can be assured that we are going to be watching this issue very closely and holding the leadership within DHS very much accountable.

I mean, I am going to get into this later, but one of the things that personally drives me crazy as a policymaker is we are under tight financial restrictions here.

This bill provides the equivalent of 20 percent more manpower, or 5,000 trained agents at the border.

As you noted, Senator Tester, in 2007, identical allegations about overtime abuse were substantiated by DHS.

I can tell you that we want our border secure and we want our people to be able to do the job that they need to do when they are in the field.

So, it is up to them to fix the problem. You point out the problem, verify it, and say fix it.

So, the question becomes for me, and I think for Senator Portman and anybody else who would be here off this Committee, what happened?

Border Patrol agents support this legislation. It is long overdue.

I wish to talk about the omnibus for a brief time before Senator Leahy has some remarks to be made. First of all, I thank the chair and ranking member of the Appropriations Committee and their staffs for their hard work to draft a sensible…

I can tell you unequivocally here today Max Baucus has the fire in the belly to be the next Chinese Ambassador, and he will represent this country very well in that capacity.