Tom Coburn

It's half of what they need.

I appreciate the service that you have given our country, and we had nobody to compare you to because we have never been in the situation we were in before.

We have let you down. The kindergarten of Congress has let you down by not doing the things to create the confidence.

I know I am over time and I apologize, but there is a problem in terms of sustaining these two hospitals, is there not?

Open enrollment begins in less than 80 days. Yet, OPM has not issued regulations implementing this provision of the law.

Do you think that it is a reasonable requirement that Members of Congress might want to see that ruling before they vote on your nomination?

But you would agree, if we did not have the stupid scoring rules that we have, nobody can lease a building in this country cheaper than they can own it when interest rates are where they are.

I am not concerned about protecting small business. I am concerned about getting the best price for this country because we cannot afford not to.

We have spent a lot of money, Federal dollars in terms of grants, bringing the equipment forward.

Did the Commonwealth Fusion Center provide information or actionable intelligence to anyone after the bombings that was not provided through any other channels?

10 percent of your budget comes from the Federal Government--or 7.5 percent, as Senator Johnson said.

So are there plans to go to the higher frequency?

We have heard a lot about the value of training and exercises like Urban Shield.

What do you see least developed in other major cities?

Mirandizing--information collected before somebody is Mirandized cannot be used, but you have not violated the law if you have not Mirandized somebody.

The American Community Survey is kind of tied up in this lack of confidence in government today, which is difficult for you because it makes your job more difficult.

What I am looking for is a commitment on cost-plus contracts, that, first of all, we are not going to utilize them unless they are an absolute necessity.

I am pretty disgusted with the MEDIC program because I do not think we are getting that much from it.

What is wrong with the recommendations that the IG is making in this? It fits with common sense.

I think, one of our problems in government is we see a problem, and then our rules of government make it to where we cannot save the lives of the next 1,600 people who are going to die from a prescription drug overdose because we are not…

If we come back a year from now, Chairman Carper, and this stuff has not been done... we ought to see about cleaning house everywhere at CMS.

What we need is a coherent, smart strategy.

Eight years ago next month, Tom Carper and I had a hearing on GSA and I would tell you nothing has essentially happened in 8 years.

I would just tell you, when we look at sequester, the gentleman sitting before us today could save us a third of that every year if GSA was highly effective.

The Federal Government is the largest buyer of everything in the world and there should not be one instance that we do not get the best price and the best value for everything that we do.