Jeanne Shaheen

It is critical that we maintain a focus on this important region so as not to lose the gains we've fought so hard for over the last decade and a half.

Poland takes seriously its commitment to NATO and has also agreed to host the second U.S. missile defense interceptor site in the 2018 timeframe.

Poland has consistently supported U.S. foreign policy, contributing troops to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

If confirmed, what do you intend to do to ensure that AFRICOM has the appropriate intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability?

The Iraq withdrawal experience taught us two things: to begin planning earlier and to consider all possibilities.

The safety and security of our deployed forces remains our foremost priority.

I think he will be an excellent Secretary of Defense. I hope that we will confirm him.

The Senate Armed Services Committee has been a strong proponent of U.S.-Israeli cooperation on missile defense.

I was encouraged that we were able to change this policy during last year's NDAA, and I look forward to its full implementation.

I want to follow up on Senator King's question about the Navy, because the Navy is obviously very important to us in New Hampshire as well.

If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent it adjourn under the previous order. There being no objection, the Senate, at 7:02 p.m., adjourned until Tuesday, January 29, 2013, at 10 a.m…

We anticipate the Foreign Relations Committee will report out Senator Kerry's nomination and look forward to full Senate consideration tomorrow. ____________________

And in my small State of New Hampshire, where we only have 18 miles of coastline, we have 5,000 jobs dependent on this industry. So in Rhode Island and Alaska, I am sure my colleagues have a significant number of jobs dependent on the…

It is not just the people who are fishing directly who are affected by this, it is also all of the other jobs that depend on that fishing industry that are going to be lost.

I would just echo the comments that have been made already by this committee and by you that this is action that we need to get moving on immediately.

I will be brief because my friend from Massachusetts was eloquent in talking about the livelihood of people in our fishing industry who have been affected by the disaster, and as a result there have been low species and low catch numbers…

Isn't it true that since 1994, Federal fishery failures have been declared on 29 different occasions and that nearly $827 million in Federal funding has been appropriated for fishery disaster relief?

We are from New England. Senator Mikulski is further south on the east coast. But this is a bicoastal problem because, as I know Senator Begich will tell us, it is a huge issue for people in Alaska and for those on the west coast. They…

I would hope that we would follow up on this specific question because it seems to me to be critical as we look at the situation going forward.

I appreciate Secretary Clinton's taking responsibility for what happened and, as she points out in her letter to this committee, for going even further than the recommendations in the report to address the mistakes that were made.

Yes, there was an interesting bet between former Secretary Cohen and the Vice President relative to who would have the shortest speech, and I think the Vice President lost that. But I thank the Senator for his kind words, and the Senator…

If I could briefly reply, I very much appreciate the Senator's remarks about yesterday's reception and especially the wonderful tribute you made to Senator Rudman, who was a real giant, not just in the Senate but, of course, in New…

It may be messy, but it is going to get done.

I want to echo Chair Landrieu's remarks about what a privilege it has been to serve with you, Senator Snowe.

I have no further questions and clearly neither does anyone else since they're gone.