Kelly Ayotte

I was surprised to learn that the Navy plans to place 6 ships of the 3-squadron, 16-ship total MPF for the Marine Corps into reduced operating status beginning in fiscal year 2013.

There is a gap in the modernization of our shipyards in terms of the backlog there.

The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is a very important public shipyard in our country.

At the end of the day really where I'd like to be is, how do we avoid this from happening again?

I think what we're all trying to figure out is how we can avoid this.

I very much appreciate what you're saying. We would love to have you up to our State to take a look at it.

I thank the Chair. (The remarks of Ms. Ayotte pertaining to the introduction of S. 944 are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')

They're anxious to bring jobs and manufacturing plans and revenue back to this country, but they have a 35-percent corporate tax rate that does not make them competitive

This week, I heard from a number of large companies who argue on the tax code that we're not competitive

If there were such a thing as a dirt index—and I believe there should be.

I hope that we take that to heart here, and a lot of times cutting through the red tape to make it easier for us to--the private sector to thrive.

I think there's a huge opportunity to streamline our regulations, to look at the cost of adhering to the regulations and the intended benefit of the regulation.

The regulations that they see that are passed by our government really make it difficult whether you want to start your own business, whether you want to expand, whether you're involved in a particular trade.

It seems to me that that would be a better way to rank it and rate it, based on risk of activity.

I hope that, to the extent we can, we do move to a universal screening process for those that are in the same category.

Is there a better way to do it? Can we do it in a more efficient way?

I think it's very important. Because, obviously, one of the issues we wanted to address, post-9/11, was the coordination among agencies.

I wanted to ask, as I understand it--and whoever's most appropriate to answer this question--that part of the screening process would be to match it up against the terrorist watch list.

We certainly don't want a security program in place that gives the appearance of making us more secure, but in reality does not.

It is deeply troubling that the GAO investigators were able to access secure facilities at U.S. ports during covert tests by presenting counterfeit or fraudulent TWIC cards.

Security at our nation's ports is critically important to our safety and to our economy.

One of the concerns I have about that tax is that it is not going to allow the development of new research and development and technologies.

We want to be on the cutting edge of making sure that we get the best technology that is not only safe, but the lifesaving products to United States consumers in as fast as possible process while making sure that it is safe.

I am deeply troubled by reports that our nation's leadership in medical technology could be declining as medical device technology companies, due to the review process, are increasingly looking to other countries for approval on innovative…

In the healthcare bill that was passed, there is a new tax on medical device companies that is actually, in my view, a tax on innovation.