Because he is selling a strategy which he knows cannot work. He knows it's doomed to failure.

Ted Cruz is a fraud and may no longer have any influence in the Republican Party.

We cannot go down this path of attempting to shut down the government over an issue where we lost.

If he can, you know, negotiate with Putin and he's certainly going to be able to sit down with John Boehner.

Now to me this is like the Charge of the Light Brigade or it's like Gallipoli, or Kamikaze pilot.

We can't let the government be shut down. We can't become General Custer.

TRIA has no debt. This is not like the Federal Flood Insurance Program. It has no debt.

I think this is perhaps the most successful example of a public-private partnership.

The reality is this was passed in the aftermath of 9/11, and we didn't fully realize at the time that the international terrorist threat would not be a temporary threat.

We cannot expect the private market to ensure against failures in U.S. counterterrorism without the government taking on some responsibility for the failure.

It is the responsibility of the Federal Government to ensure the security of its citizens.

The fact is, 12 years later... in many ways, the terrorist threats are as great if not greater than they were on 9/11.

I strongly urge an extension of the program.

I strongly support a clean extension of the TRIA program.

In a post-9/11 world, we need the TRIA program more than ever.

We can't let the government shut down. We can't be kamikazes and we can't be General Custer.

Other Members of the subcommittee may introduce opening statements for the record.

I write today on behalf of The Jewish Federations of North America to applaud you for scheduling tomorrow's hearing on the 'Al-Qaeda Threat.'

I think one thing that struck me is that the three of you come from such different perspectives yet all share the belief that AQAP and al-Qaeda and its affiliates and the whole al-Qaeda organization is so extremely dangerous to the United…

I do believe that action should be taken in Syria.

It has to show there is a plan and strategy.

If no action is taken to degrade Syria, you have this access between Syria and Iran.

I think it is important that we maintain credibility, not for the sake of saving face but for credibility.

This is a terrible failure of leadership. This is the NSA version of the apology tour, of the Obama apology tour. This is a successful program. The NSA program is successful and yet the president is allowing Edward Snowden, the traitor, to…

This guy is a traitor. He's a defector. He's not a hero.