George Voinovich

You need dramatic and fundamental reforms. You need to engage in movement politics.

We are not going to vote to extend the debt limit beyond the $12.1 trillion it is at now unless such a commission, such a process to deal with our debt is set up.

Our challenge represents the serious structural deficits that are large, known, and growing.

A final vote on the recommendations would occur before the 111th Congress adjourns.

I am fed up with political messaging. We have it all the time on both sides of the aisle.

We are out of control and we are reaching a precipice, that if we do not take definitive action soon, we could pass a tipping point.

We are headed for a fiscal cliff and we need to change course before we go over it.

It just seems that we don't have enough of that going on today in the Federal Government.

I would like to know in writing just what exactly it is that you are going to be doing.

I promise you that if we get that and the need is dollars and cents, I would like to work with you.

Part of the problem is that Congress comes in and sets your priorities and juggles the money around.

Did you know I am Ranking Member on the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee and am very interested in making sure that you have the money that you need to get the job done?

I do not believe that he is qualified to take this very important position that is now being held by Ms. Duke.

Thank you. This has been a great hearing. I am pleased with it. This is a nice team, and if you are all working together, we are going to continue to make some real progress.

I think you need to continue to do that, because the previous Administration really was into farming stuff out.

If you don't give them the money and the budget and the tools to get the job done, then you are basically telling them that you don't think very much of the job that you are asking them to do.

The point is that you have got to have the budget to do that.

I regularly remind my colleagues that when we established the Department, we initiated the Federal Government's largest restructuring since the Department of Defense.

I really want to publicly express my appreciation to you for the work that we are doing together to try and get DHS off the High-Risk List.

I want to thank you very much for having this hearing. I don't have any other questions. But this has been a great hearing and I am fired up.

Let me just ask you one other thing.

It seems to me that if you are going to do the Afghanistan and you are going to have your military out there, that one of the things you are going to make sure is that they are trained in counterterrorism and they are trying to make…

But you ought to have a plan, at least--

Now, is that ordinarily somebody, if I got a hold of Richard Holbrooke and said, do you have something written down that shows that you have thought, and here is the plan, how many people, human capital, etc., do you think that is in place?

I think there was some curtailment of language training or waivers put into place to get people out.