Bill Johnson

I too hope that we could get to that point, and I hope that we can move forward together to solve these problems and others.

The issues discussed here today were yet another example of this Committee's efforts to reach out to the VA with founded concerns in an attempt to quickly and easily resolve them.

I want to thank the panel for being here today, and you are now excused.

Why did VA ask for money to expand while simultaneously planning to build a new facility well over the authorized project limit?

So that's taxpayer dollars down the drain?

Last year, PortMiami generated over $18 billion, direct and indirect, to the economy of our community.

The average job through the Port of Miami with a high school education is approaching $56,000 a year.

Believe me, I cannot emphasize enough that safety is the cruise industry's number one priority.

I want to thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today.

I appreciate, first of all, my colleague from South Carolina for offering H.R. 3783, the Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act of 2012.

A letter submitted for the record by the Independent Petroleum Association of America follows:

Yes or no, Mr. Secretary. I am out of time.

So that means that Director Pizarchik or someone else at OSM asked the contractors to lie and change the baseline coal production level to show fewer job losses, and that you or no one else was involved.

Did you, anyone from your office, the White House, or anyone else in a position of authority at the Department, direct OSM employees to ask the contractors to change assumptions on the economic analysis to address the job numbers in the…

This cost the American taxpayers millions of dollars. And this, to me and the American taxpayer, is simply unacceptable.

This is an egregious situation here. It has tremendous impacts, not only on my district, but the coal industry across this nation.

I don't want a filibuster here, Mr. Secretary, because we got a lot to cover.

I assume that it is also safe to say that you don't support lying or asking someone to lie for you, as well.

Mr. Secretary, do you support Federal officials threatening hard-working businesses and individuals for following the compliance mandates of legally binding government contracts?

The Department's lack of fully cooperating with this Committee's document requests regarding their conduct of this regulatory rewrite.

Increasing taxes on energy production is misguided policy that will increase energy costs.

The Administration's plan effectively reinstates the drilling moratoria that were lifted in 2008 by Congress and the President.

We should not be increasing spending for land acquisition when the government cannot maintain the land it already owns.

Increasing taxes on American families and businesses is not the solution, and simply freezing and holding the line on spending is not enough.

It will not take lightly any form of retribution or roadblock to getting these veterans what they deserve.