Peter King

Actually, we have a pinch hitter. I yield 1\1/ 2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling).

Could I inquire of my friend from Mississippi if he intends to use all his time with more speakers?

I would just make several references, one to my good friend, the gentleman from Mississippi, who is ranking member and does such an outstanding job on the Homeland Security Committee, that I don't think it is ever a waste of taxpayer…

Again I would remind my friends on the Democratic side that the resolution that the overwhelming majority of them voted for 2 years ago, for instance, on the issue of port security, in the whereas clauses specifically cited the innovative…

We need more personnel. Again, we've tripled the number of Border Patrol agents in the last five years, but I think we have to add significantly more.

Yes, it is safer, and I'll tell you why. This plot probably would not have been stopped prior to September 11, 2001.

The enormity of this, the breadth of this threat, you would have had thousands of Americans killed, it would have been comparable to 9/11.

I certainly think an attempted attack upon the United States is inevitable.

I've known Mike Chertoff for quite a while. We've had some agreements on different issues, but he's always been cool, always entirely composed. But when he called me last night, that was the first time in my relationship with him that I…

This is -- this is war. This is not the same as a highway bill or a tax bill. This is life and death. And 'The New York Times' should understand that.

That is not true at all. One of the reasons that there was a reduction in the overall amount of money is because 46 percent of the money that's an allocated over the last four years is still in the pipeline.

Yeah, Mike Chertoff is totally wrong on that. First of all, what he forgets to say is this is a 40 percent cut from last year.

I would leave it now by saying I'm disappointed, but I'd say it's getting more and more difficult to defend him staying in the position.

I'm very disappointed. There's just been to me really a lack of good faith in dealing, and I'm very disappointed in Secretary Chertoff.

Well, my understanding is that it is true and that it was there, it was certainly considered to be a valid threat, and it was called back.

No, I really don't. Actually, I've been chairman since September, and I thought I had a very good working relationship with Bennie Thompson. We've worked together on port security, on ammonium nitrate, on Dubai ports.

New York Congressman Peter King calls the cuts disgraceful.

Let me at the outset commend Ranking Member Thompson, Chairman Lungren, Ranking Member Sanchez, Ms. Harman for the truly bipartisan job they did in putting this together. Let me also commend our staff, Mandy Bowers, Mark Klaassen, Mike…

Let me just say that I commend the gentleman from New Hampshire for his proposal. It is something that is needed. It fills a very vital need, and I urge the adoption of his amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Again, Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to control the time even though I am not opposed to the amendment. The Acting CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from New York? There was no objection.

Mr. Castle, I share your concerns. The legislation under consideration today is only one part of an aggressive campaign to bring common sense to our homeland security efforts. Rail security has been one of my highest priorities, certainly…

I am privileged to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren), the former attorney general of California and the sponsor of the bill.

I join the lady in the commemoration of the greatness of this day. And with that, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Management Integration Oversight.

Thank God he was dealing with a police officer at the other end. If that had been an agent of al Qaeda or somebody from organized crime, or someone from a foreign government, they would have been able to blackmail him. And, again, he -- he…

If Dubai ports is divesting itself of all American aspects of the contract, this is over. We can all go forward. There's no acrimony. There's no more problem.