I think it's going to be absolutely key that we work together, particularly as we go into this next farm bill, on crop insurance.

using those mediators could really be helpful.

Well, two things. First off, you're absolutely right.

I'd strongly urge you to do that. And I think that you've shown a willingness to work with them that I greatly appreciate.

I respect that greatly, and am going to work to do the best I can to produce the very best budget.

I think there were a lot of places around the country--found out on 9/11 that, in terms of their radio systems and interoperability that they had some challenges.

My hope is that we just voted for the last short-term continuing resolution and that the next effort at the end of this 3-week period we will finish out the rest of the year and the 2012 budget we are working on right now will be treated…

And are they actually building that security system, or firewall, so that you then can migrate to the one computer, and it's just a matter of them getting that done?

Your expertise is vital in the process.

A stable Government, predictable policy, and predictable regulatory responses are all essential to the decisions to invest here.

Are there statutory changes that come to mind that would help you streamline any of that process?

What do you want? What don't you want? And there's an associated cost or reduction that goes with it.

I look forward to working with you, as the Chairman, on this subcommittee.

We believe that any reduction in our funding below current levels would be a false economy.

I'm very hopeful that, as we do, we're going to get into a process where we go through that normal budgeting process.

So, your priority list is your priority list.

I agree on the 2-year--matter of fact, I'm cosponsoring legislation to go to a 2-year budget cycle.

Look, if we have to compress some budgets, you're going to have to do without some services.

we have to work within the confines that we have.

That's the list I'm looking at.

That's actually deferred projects. So, this $128,982,000 is--that's what's coming someday, not----

Do they, in essence, act as a service bureau, where you just pay them a fee out of your budget for the use of their time on their servers and their computers?

So, the real issue is just programming, building an adequate firewall for that secure information.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Some are deferred maintenance, many of them. They need to be addressed.