Jon Tester

Unless somebody is doing the evaluation of you, I guarantee you--well, maybe Senator Portman can, but I cannot evaluate the work that you are doing.

Who is ultimately responsible for policing the work that you do?

Is there anything that we can do--quite frankly, because transparency is a big thing in any part of government--that could help make it so it is more accessible to folks?

They see news coverage of lavish retreats and of conferences hosted by government agencies on the taxpayer dime.

The truth is if you are talking about $17 per dollar invested--and, Peg, you said we are nowhere near the point where we could top out--well, it is not good government.

Well, thank you, Peg. And the fact that your testimony ran 20 seconds short of 5 minutes shows that you are not new to this party; you have been here before.

Without independent voices of oversight within the Federal agencies, we have no hope for accountability or transparency.

They hear about the latest infringement of their privacy by government programs carried out in the name of national security.

These guys have enough to do, plus, with short budgets and sequestration.

They read about millions wasted on construction contracts in Afghanistan that are not needed or cannot be sustained.

I can tell you that folks back in Montana are a bit skeptical about the way things work in Washington.

It is something that I actually feel very strongly about because it compromises transparency and it impairs our ability to perform quality oversight.

I want to express a serious disappointment with a recent decision by FSOC not to release for public comment a study produced by the Office of Financial Research regarding the asset management industry.

Will you ensure that the Council lives up to its commitment of transparency?

The fact of the matter is that because of the dysfunction in the Senate now, with filibustering every little issue that comes down the pipe, we are not able to do our job in a way that meets the needs for Indian Country.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Federal Government must fulfill its trust responsibility to our tribal nations.

I would hope that you get a chance to take a look at the legislation and work with Senator McCain and myself.

I think it is important that we do find a balance between securing the borders, defending the homeland, and civil liberties of law-abiding Americans.

Senator McCain and I recently introduced a bill to reform the pay structure for Customs and Border Patrol agents.

I think it is critically important that you go back, set turf aside, and make sure that the agencies and the departments that are there minimize overlap so that there is a bigger level of accountability.

I rise today in support of protecting our Nation's outdoor traditions, including opening access to our public lands, preserving some of the greatest places to hunt and fish and recreate, and encouraging economic development and job…

I think I would like--this would give a dedicated stream of funding, and I think that is the real advantage.

I want to thank our witnesses.

We applaud the supporters of S.1217 for including this key element, especially Senators Jon Tester and Mike Johanns for their leadership in this area.

I believe we have a limited window of opportunity here, and I am afraid that it will get much more difficult if we fail to seize on that window of opportunity.