Tom Coburn

I think one thing we have done well is this program Partnership for Growth in El Salvador that sets out a framework that both Salvador and the United States agree on.

Regardless of all our testimony, regardless of all the theories, when you ask people why they are coming. They are telling you why they came.

Do you happen to agree with what Senator Landrieu said, to make sure that if we are going to send money, it actually goes where it works instead of goes down the drain, like it has?

I think you made a grievous error in denying Congressman Bridenstine access to that facility.

The No. 1 message to stop this is planes arriving in Honduras and Guatemala with these children back home.

My point is, I am all for having the children in the best place.

Is it the policy of HHS not to ask the status of those people with whom you are placing the child?

The best way to stop the flow is to send them back.

I would appreciate any feedback you can give me on that.

That needs to be changed in order to solve this problem.

There is no committee in Congress that does more oversight than the Intelligence Committee.

The very reason we wanted the DATA Act in the first place, is to force that consolidation of data so that they will actually know what they are doing and where they are spending the money.

One of the things that has not been able to be achieved yet is a consensus between the Administration and Congress on tackling the big elephant in the room, which is deficit reduction.

Will you state before this Committee that you will do everything in your power to keep the commitment that the DATA Act timelines are fulfilled?

The very fact that they have to get up to speed to comply tells you that they do not know what they doing in terms of management because they do not know where they are spending the money.

But, the way to find out if things are working is to have metrics on the things.

Can it be done for less? Can it be done under the realization that this country is in trouble financially?

We have to ask them to do that. And I am truly frustrated.

If you put somebody in disability that is not truly disabled, what you did is put a ceiling on their ability to achieve, perform, grow, succeed.

We have to write a bill, and we have to put the rules and the specs, commonsense stuff.

Here is the answer: If we write a reform bill on Social Security, we have to be very specific about what we expect.

They could sanction him; say, you can no longer practice before the Social Security Administration.

If we are going to spend money, let us spend money on helping people become productive members of society.

We have got to fix it, because the people who truly are disabled in this country are depending on this system, and it is belly up in a year.

Well, I think, to some extent. But remember, you have had this swelling application because we have created the predicate that it is so easy to get disability.