Yvette Clarke

Thank you both. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.

I would like to welcome everyone to this morning's hearing.

Chairman Meehan, Ranking Member Clarke, and Members of the subcommittee: I am pleased to be here today...

I credit the Obama administration for naming the threat and pushing for action.

It should not be long, idling wait times at our ports of entry, and it should not be unnecessary, expensive, ugly fencing that can easily be defeated with tunnels and ladders.

Had we dealt with those crossers at the policy level, creating for example legal guest-worker programs for migrant farm workers or more humane family reunification programs, then fewer resources would have been needed for security.

His substance, knowledge, and exceptional legal acumen will be missed in this body.

cybersecurity is perhaps the most prominent National security issue we will face this Congress.

This represents a major shift in the threat assessment by the U.S. intelligence community.

I think that the topic at hand is an appropriate one for our subcommittee's first hearing this Congress.

Those of us who have been engaged in this issue have long said that immigration reform should come first, that approaching enforcement first or only is a backward way to deal with the flow of people and goods across our borders.

I expect that to continue in the 113th Congress.

Foreign actors can no longer be permitted to commit industrial-strength espionage against our Government and businesses without being brought to account.

I believe identifying the threat is critical to combatting this problem and protecting our critical infrastructure.

I look forward to working together in a bipartisan manner moving forward.

Thank you for holding today's important hearing.

some say the biggest loophole in the RFA is the fact that it does not require agencies to analyze indirect impacts.

For small businesses, regulation can be a two-sided coin.

Our nation's regulatory structure is absolutely vital in protecting the public.

It is vital that its processes and requirements be used appropriately to make regulations more targeted, efficient, and effective.

Our goal should not be the short-sighted removal of all regulations but rather make the process smarter, fairer.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I firmly believe that DHS's role needs the clarity and authority of statute to most effectively do its mission.

Unfortunately, some colleagues last year were unwilling to consider giving DHS the statutory certainty that it sorely needs and prevented the legislation from reaching the floor.

I think it is really important that we not get into a bidding war, but we all play a very critical role in this new governance in this space.