James Lankford

This is about the number of qualified people coming in the process.

Because, by the way, in the Federal Government, it is hard to find anything temporary.

I would expect for these administrative judges you are talking about that very few would have representation with them.

We cannot hire enough qualified ALJs to be able to actually hit the backlog numbers that we need.

So wait. I am sorry to interrupt you.

Do you have enough in the pool from what OPM is sending you?

I wish in some way this was an unprecedented backlog.

So either way it is a really bad situation for them.

Senators Heidi Heitkamp and James Lankford introduced bipartisan legislation to the Senate.

I unfortunately will not be able to stay through the whole hearing, as all of us have multiple hearings at multiple times.

In Oklahoma, our estimate from the Department of Education is somewhere around 100,000 Native American students. The current estimate by Johnson-O'Malley 11,000.

We want to be able to help in that process, to be able to get it to a more effective spot.

This has been an ongoing project for a long time. When you deal with Johnson-O'Malley, one thing is clear every time you deal with it, and that is, the count is wrong.

We want a basic list of all the programs and a list of their effectiveness.

These men and women who have served our Country deserve better than that, Mr. Chairman.

These veterans, like all veterans, deserve our upmost respect and gratitude.

Their sacrifices, coupled with the Federal Government's trust responsibilities, require us to remedy this situation.

We need to modernize our approach to Indian education.

We need to break the caps. We need to have something uniquely different on this because it is very important.

I was just as frustrated last October, when that budget piece passed that included an incredible punt on Social Security Disability Insurance.

I know we are about to be called for votes, so let me cut to the chase.

They anticipate the Taxpayers Right to Know Act to pass. And, when it passes, then they will actually take on these things.

It has now moved completely through the House again--413 to 0 this time.

What really changed? I typically take them back to this--to the work on duplication and this specific report.

Do you agree, without reservation, to comply with any request or summons to appear and testify before any duly constituted Committee of Congress if you are confirmed?