Jon Tester

After all our Northern border with Canada is the longest shared border in the world, some 5,500 miles, including 545 miles in this State alone.

During a recent trip that I took to the Northern border, I spoke with some CBP agents that were frustrated by jurisdictional issues.

I very much appreciate it.

Does it make the most sense for folks like you and the agency you serve, does it make most sense for border security, does it make sense for the taxpayer the way the system currently works with overtime pay.

I am going to turn it over to Congressman Daines in just a second.

The business community is very much in support obviously those more open hours to the border, more open door.

You talk about operation Stonegarden, and they have done, obviously done some good work granting some dollars in here.

I think we need to deal with this issue very, very soon, or we are going to see $5 to $6 billion sucked out of the economy.

What measures or safeguards are in place to monitor the military personnel, DOD civilians, private contractors with security clearances?

We have a confirmation hearing on the new Director of OPM on July 12, and I have a notion that is going to be a question that is going to be asked right out of the gate: Are you going to support using some of those monies?

Are there any concerns that Mr. Snowden's background investigation by USIS may not have been carried out in an appropriate or thorough manner?

Short of the President of the United States, I do not know who is responsible for these security clearances.

This $1 billion or $2 billion fund, somebody has made a call that none of that money can be used for things like annual financial audits or any basic oversight.

I want to say thank you to Senator Johnson for being here.

Yes, but they vary between each agency, so consequently there is no reciprocity, and the standards could go from soup to nuts.

But yet they are given the re-investigation of Mr. Snowden. How does that happen?

When we are talking about clearances that are potentially revoked, can you tell me what the biggest disqualifiers are?

It is critical for us to examine the scope of these programs to determine whether they properly balance our security and our essential liberties.

I think it is positive for this country to be having the discussion we are having.

Whatever one thinks of Edward Snowden, it looks to me as if we have also got a big problem that is internal, not external.

S.294 Ruth Moore Act of 2013

Establishing proof of military sexual assault, however, is very difficult in the current system and the vast majority of these assaults go unreported.

The current standards are difficult, if not impossible, to meet; and they do an injustice to veterans who have honorably served their Nation yet suffer terrific trauma.

A recent Pentagon data estimate reported the number of sexual assaults in the military has increased by 35 percent over the last 2 years.

A culture change is needed.